


Shooting STARs

by StormySeaWitch



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Adult Language, Character Death, Conspiracy Theories, F/M, RATING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS FIC PROGRESSES, Secret Agent AU but also not really, implied sexy times but nothing explicit, pidgance, plance, prompted fic, she/her pronouns for pidge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2019-07-01 16:43:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15778026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormySeaWitch/pseuds/StormySeaWitch
Summary: I’m in love with a shooting star, but she moves so fast that I can't keep up.Lance works for the government monitoring wishes recorded on man-made shooting STARs like a hot fairy godmother with a very expensive suit instead of wings, and a company credit card instead of a wand. One night, a lonely girl named Katie Holt makes a wish on a falling star for some noodles, and gets much more than she bargained for.





	1. RE: STAR Case #13009

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I'm posting this...

Lance had spent a solid hour playing Ballz on his phone, waiting for an assignment to come through. STARs - Satellite Tracked Ambition Receivers - didn’t fall too often in the one spot, to avoid suspicion, but there were at least a few scheduled across their sector tonight and he was desperate for a new case. 

 

He was one of a handful of agents without someone to track, and he was renowned for his ability to make wishes happen in one way or another. Obviously they had to be sneaky about their work - not everyone could win the lottery and he definitely couldn’t make the hot jock Brad ask  _ every _ girl to the prom - but they did just enough that Lance felt like he made a difference. Even if their primary objective was to monitor the contentment levels of ordinary citizens, he felt like a hot fairy godmother, just with a company credit card instead of a magic wand. 

 

When he voiced these complaints to Hunk, the agent in the cubicle next to his, he was met with a roll of the eyes. 

 

‘You need a case,’ Hunk said, and Lance groaned as he leaned back on his chair. 

 

‘I need a case,’ he repeated, rubbing his eyes. 

 

‘Isn’t there a STAR in like, twenty minutes? Maybe you’ll get that one,’ Hunk said, tapping away at his keyboard. His case subject, a man who had lost his arm in a tragic accident, had wished to get through his recovery, and Hunk had been on the phone all night organising for some of the medical bills to be lessened, or even paid for by the government. Secretly, of course. 

 

You can’t do good things for people and then expect to get  _ credit _ for it. 

 

Lance’s computer made a blip sound, and he spun the chair around so quickly he nearly fell off. 

 

**[ Agent Blue - a scheduled STAR at 3:23am has been assigned to you. Should you have any problems or questions regarding this case, please email your supervisor. ]**

 

Lance pumped his fist. 

 

‘You got it?’ Hunk asked, peeking his head over the divider. 

 

‘Yeah buddy, it falls in four minutes,’ Lance confirmed. 

 

‘Awesome. I’m gonna get some coffee, you want anything?’

 

‘Coffee would be great,’ Lance replied, pulling his headset over his ears and adjusting the mic. 

 

The four minutes ticked by slower than ever, then the video footage of the STAR’s launch popped up on one of his monitors.

 

They were beautiful, for man made satellites, and Lance felt himself sigh a little as it took off into the sky. From the vantage point of the launchpad, the STAR was small and shiny, giving off a stunning trail of sparkles like they did in cartoons. It would take some time for the STAR to pick up a wish, and a bit longer for it to be sent to him, so he waited. 

 

Another minute.

 

Two minutes. 

 

Three minutes. 

 

**[ STAR launch complete. Case file #13009 - assigned to Agent Blue at 3:26am, 22/7.** ****  
**Subject: KATIE HOLT** **  
** **Audio File Attached ]**

 

Lance opened up the audio file immediately - sometimes the STAR got video footage, but not this time. Lance didn't mind.

 

**‘** _ A shooting star? _ ’ The voice on the recording was young - a teenager, probably. ‘ _ Man, I’d kill for some singapore noodles. Hear that star? I wish I had noodles. _ ’

 

Noodles. 

 

Lance ripped off his headset in disgust and chucked it on the desk. He heard the doors open up and leaned back to see Hunk carrying two cups of coffee. 

 

‘Are you okay?’ he asked with a concerned frown, placing the mug on Lance’s desk. 

 

‘Listen to this,’ Lance said, holding up his headset and replaying the audio. 

 

Hunk snorted. ‘At least you can just make a quick phone call and be done with it.’

 

‘Pfft. Rubbish, look at her file. She lives like, half an hour away. Since she’s my only assignment for tonight I may as well do it in person since I won’t get another job for two days,’ Lance moaned, downing the hot coffee in one go.

 

‘You could always get her some prawn crackers to go with them?’ Hunk teased, and Lance shoved him lightly. 

 

‘I’m gonna keep the ticket open as long as possible. I’m sick of all the waiting around.’

 

‘You get paid either way,’ Hunk reminded him, checking his emails. ‘You coming back here tonight?’

 

‘Probably not. I’ll just… get some stupid noodles and go home. See you tomorrow night.’

 

He swapped his suit out for his casual clothes, keeping the little star shaped pin on his jumper. They didn’t have to wear it all the time, only at work to keep up a professional air, but Lance loved his pin. It brought him good luck. 

 

He got in his car and put the address for his subject into his maps. There was a 24 hour noodle place a little out of the way, and all up it would take about half an hour to make the trip. He swung by the Noodle Canteen and bought three boxes of food using his company card, and headed towards Katie Holt’s house.

 

His monitoring system on his phone told him the subject was still up - pacing around inside. He could see her through the window too, well her shadow at least. He grabbed the bag of amazing smelling food and made his way up the steps, knocking on the old wooden door. 

 

‘ _Who is it?_ ’

 

‘Uh, Lance from the Noodle Canteen, I have your order?’ he said in a light voice. 

 

The door opened a crack and a pair of suspicious brown eyes blinked up at him. 

 

‘I didn’t order any food,’ she said. 

 

‘Is this unit 3, 28 Carmichael drive?’ 

 

‘Yeah, but I didn’t call anyone. It’s like 3:30 in the morning,’ she said, and Lance sighed overdramatically. 

 

‘We have a new guy answering the phones and he’s not very good at working our system yet,’ he muttered. ‘I don’t suppose you’re interested in a free box of satay chicken, beef and blackbean and some singapore noodles?’ 

 

She perked up a little at the mention of singapore noodles, her eyes darting up to the sky briefly. 

 

‘Won’t the guy who ordered all this be pretty pissed if you just give it away to a random?’

 

‘To be honest, the store is closed now, I’m on my way home and it’s all been paid for. I’ll take the fall for it tomorrow,’ Lance said with a casual shrug. ‘Call it an apology for waking you up at a ridiculous hour of the night.’

 

‘I wasn’t asleep,’ she said quickly. ‘But… yeah, sure. I’ll have it.’

 

Lance felt that triumphant feeling rise in his chest, like it did whenever he was able to close one of his wishes. 

 

‘No problem, enjoy it. Sorry to have bothered you so late,’ he said with a cheery wave, turning to head back down the steps. 

 

‘Hey, do you want some?’ she called, opening the door fully. She was dressed in a pair of green pajamas, with big glasses and messy bed hair. ‘I can’t eat it all by myself.’

 

Lance stared at her for a moment, sensing her vulnerability. 

 

‘I mean, it’s late. Sorry, you probably wanna just go home. Thanks again,’ she said quickly, pushing her glasses up her nose. 

 

‘No, wait,’ Lance said, locking his car with the push of a button. ‘I’ll share it with you, if you want?’

 

Her face lit up, and she sat down on the top step, pulling out the boxes of hot food. 

 

‘Can I have the singapore?’

 

‘Sure,’ he said, handing her the box.

 

They sat on the steps outside her house, eating their food in silence. 

 

Well, Lance ate in silence. She wolfed her food down like she’d never see food again. 

 

‘Sorry, I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch yesterday,’ she apologised. 

 

‘Why not?’ Lance asked curiously, and she hid her face behind her long hair. 

 

‘No reason. Don’t you have a girlfriend or a mother waiting up at home for you?’ she asked, changing the topic quickly. 

 

‘Uh, no. Just me. I mean there’s this stray cat that likes to hang around, but she’s really my only company,’ Lance said with a smile. ‘Are you parents gonna be okay with you out here eating noodles at four in the morning?’

 

‘Don’t have any,’ she replied quickly. ‘Okay, obviously I  _ have _ parents… a brother too. They’re just not here right now.’

 

‘Where are they?’

 

‘You’re an awfully nosy delivery boy,’ she countered. 

 

‘Yeah well, early morning noodle eating acquaintances have to look after each other, right?’ he said with a gentle nudge. 

 

‘Well, if you really want to know,’ she began, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. ‘My dad and my brother worked for the government. Top secret stuff, my mum and I didn’t know what they were doing. Then one day they just didn’t come home.’

 

She dug around the bottom of the box with her chopsticks for a moment, and Lance gently ran his fingers over the cool metal pin in his pocket. 

 

‘My mum was furious and terrified, and she caused a big scene, and they came and took her away. So now it’s just me, and I’m waiting for them to come back.’

 

Lance stared at her, and she shuffled her slippers self consciously. 

 

‘That’s… terrible. You’re just living here by yourself with no food or money or anything?’ he said, standing up. 

 

‘It’s not that bad, I just miss my family. They haven’t cut off my water or power yet, but I’ve got plenty of candles and stuff,’ she said, waving a hand like it was nothing. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. I’m probably gonna head to bed. Thanks for the free food, delivery boy.’

 

‘Well hey, take this so you can eat it tomorrow.’ Lance handed her the bag with the last box in it. She accepted it with a sad, tired smile. 

 

‘Thanks… I’m Katie, by the way.’ She held out a hand, and Lance took it. 

 

‘I’m Lance. Nice to meet you, Katie.’

 

*

 

‘Lance?’

 

‘Hunk, I hit the jackpot,’ Lance announced, dropping into his chair. 

 

‘I thought you said you were going home?’ 

 

‘Yeah I was, but this girl needs my help. This is a big ticket, my dude, and I’m gonna do it properly.’

 

Hunk wheeled his chair into Lance’s cubicle and watched over his shoulder as he typed up the report for the night. 

 

‘She’s living on her own because she thinks the government is covering up the reason her dad and brother went missing? And they took her mum when she started asking questions?’ 

 

‘Right? The poor thing hadn’t eaten all day. I have to fix this, Hunk. I’m probably the only one who  _ can _ fix it. Even if it’s just to keep her fed every day,’ he said, running a hand through his hair. 

 

‘Might wanna email Ros about it. She’ll get pissed if you don’t close such a simple case and don’t tell her why,’ Hunk said, wheeling himself backwards towards his desk. 

 

‘On it now, pal. Then I’m going home,’ Lance declared. 

 

**[ To: Supervisor** ****  
**From: Agent Blue** **  
** **RE: STAR Case #13009**

 

**Hey Ros, I’m not closing the ticket for this case file tonight, I dug up some pretty interesting stuff and I’d like to work on it a bit more. I’d like to request no more STAR assignments until this ticket is closed, or until further notice.**

**Thanks** **  
** **Lance. ]**

 

He built up his report of what he knew already, including a detailed record of all his interactions with the case subject. Hunk convinced him that 6am was too late to be working and he had to get home and get some sleep, and Lance let himself be pulled away from the monitor. 

 

He didn’t register any of his driving on the way home; he could have killed a million cats, an old lady and an alien and not even realised. His tiny apartment was cold when he got in, the sun just peeping through his curtains. As he fell, fully clothed, into bed, his phone lit up with an email. 

 

**[ To: Agent Blue** ****  
**From: Supervisor** **  
** **RE: STAR Case #13009**

 

**Lance** **  
** **This has been approved. Please keep me updated on the case over the next few days.**

**Regards** **  
** **Ros - Supervisor ]**


	2. Crunchy or Smooth?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance convinces Katie to let him help her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go~

‘Lance?’

 

‘Hey Ros, what’s up?’ he asked, spinning in his chair. 

 

‘I have your case file,’ Ros replied, leaning against his desk. ‘Can I get an update on the situation, please?’ 

 

‘Subject is nineteen, living alone with no income or any sort of stable anything. She claims that her parents and her brother are caught up in some government conspiracy, and to be honest I was concerned she might a fake-moon-landing kinda person but-’ Lance spun around to show her his screen. ‘There’s no file on her dad or her brother, they’re either wiped completely clean or I don’t have the necessary clearance to view the file, it’s classified.’

 

Ros leaned over and tapped a few keys. The file remained unopened. 

 

‘Even my clearance isn’t enough. What about the file on the mother?’

 

‘Perfectly normal, easily accessible. No red flags in her file, still lists her address as where Katie is staying right now,’ Lance explained, bringing up the file. 

 

‘Keep making sure your case subject isn’t starving, I will look into this further so that you don’t dig yourself into a hole. Are you seeing her tonight?’

 

‘I was gonna swing by as Lance the Noodle Delivery guy, yeah. At a more reasonable time as well,’ Lance said with a grin. Ros nodded in approval and headed back to her office, heels clacking on the polished floor. 

 

‘Noodles again?’ Hunk asked, poking his head over the cubicle. 

 

‘I have a charade to keep up,’ Lance replied, swiping his keys from the drawer. ‘I’m off early. Got cute girls to keep alive, you know, the usual.’

 

‘Yeah yeah, whatever,’ Hunk waved him off and settled back into his chair. ‘On another note, my case subject is having his prosthetic fitted today.’

 

‘Nice. You’ll be close to closing that ticket, yeah?’

 

‘Getting there. Anyway, go feed your stray.’

 

Lance dressed in his casual clothes and drove to pick up some food. 

 

*

 

‘Lance?’

 

She was still in her pajamas, her hair fluffed out of her braid at odd angles. 

 

‘Hey, sorry to bother you again, I just… you said you weren’t eating?’ Lance said sheepishly, holding out a bag. ‘I hope you’re okay with just...simple chicken teriyaki? Or I have Pad Thai?’

 

‘You didn’t have to do that,’ she replied, looking down at her slippers. ‘I mean, thank you. I really do appreciate it.’

 

Lance gave her a bright smile. ‘I mean, if I can help, I will.’

 

‘Do you want some?’ she asked. ‘You can’t be earning that much as a noodle delivery boy, right?’

 

‘I have my ways, I’m good,’ Lance replied, sitting down beside her. Katie helped herself to the Pad Thai, dropping some noodles down her chin.

 

Lance laughed, and she made a snorting sound as he set her off. 

 

‘Shut up, I’m hungry!’ she said once she’d cleared her mouth of food. 

 

‘I didn’t say anything!’ he protested, grinning. 

 

‘You didn’t  _ need _ to,’ Katie said, bumping him lightly with her elbow. 

 

‘Hey Katie...do you have a job, or anything to support yourself?’ Lance asked quietly, and Katie avoided his gaze while she thought out her answer. 

 

‘Not really. I mean, someone leaves some money in the mailbox every week, but it’s just enough to cover the electricity and the water, not really much left for food,’ she explained, picking out a piece of chicken. ‘Originally I’d planned to be studying at this point but all this crap made me lose track of time and I missed the application date.’

 

‘Can I help you?’ Lance asked, leaning his chin on his fist. ‘Like, will you let me help you out?’

 

‘How?’ Katie asked, looking up at him with her big brown eyes. 

 

‘Well, you know. Help you with food and things. I can help you clean this place up for when your family gets back?’ Lance suggested, his voice going up, almost hopefully. 

 

Katie laughed, and got to her feet. ‘I’m not a stray cat, Lance.’

 

‘No, you’re not,’ Lance agreed. ‘But at the same time, I can help you. I’m in a position to help you, if you’ll let me.’

 

‘Look, I really appreciate it and all, but I’ll be okay. My family should be back soon anyway, and then you’ll have done all this work for nothing,’ she told him, scuffing her feet on the concrete steps. 

 

‘Well, do you at least have a phone or something?’ Lance asked, scribbling his number on a scrap of paper from his pocket. ‘Promise me you’ll call if something comes up?’

 

‘... yeah, I promise,’ Katie replied sincerely, tucking the precious information into her own pocket. 

 

‘Can I at least bring you some basic stuff?’ Lance asked, also jumping to his feet. They were the same size with her standing a few steps above him, and her warm brown eyes bored into his. 

 

‘Basic stuff,’ Katie repeated firmly. ‘No like… cakes or pizzas or silly expensive things, okay?’

 

‘Bread, milk… basic stuff,’ Lance agreed, his hand on his heart. 

 

Katie rolled her eyes, oddly sweet in her pjs with a noodle box in one hand. 

 

‘So I’ll see you tomorrow?’ she asked, her voice sounding almost hopeful. 

 

‘Yeah, tomorrow,’ Lance grinned in reply. He gave her a short wave and skipped down the rest of the steps two at a time before unlocking his car with the click of a button. 

 

‘Lance?’

 

He spun on his heel to see that she had followed him down the stairs. 

 

‘Could, uh… could you get me some peanut butter as well, please? I’m sorry, I just  _ really miss peanut butter _ ,’ she said softly, and Lance gave a breathy laugh. 

 

‘Yeah sure, crunchy or smooth?’

 

‘Uh, smooth, I’m not a monster,’ Katie said with a cheeky grin. 

 

‘Oh good, I didn’t want to be seen actually  _ paying _ for crunchy peanut butter,’ he agreed. She snorted and gave him a playful nudge with her elbow. 

 

‘Thanks Lance,’ she said. ‘For everything.’

 

‘AllI did was mess up a noodle delivery order,’ he said, feeling heat creep up his neck. 

 

‘Yeah, well. Who knows what might have happened to me if you hadn’t,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Anyway, you’ve probably got stuff to do. Later, Lance.’

 

‘Later Katie,’ he said, opening his car door. 

 

He drove a few blocks before stopping to recollect himself. Maybe this was why they never told their subjects about their secret doings - he buried his face in his hands. From her, it was the highest praise. 

 

*

 

‘Twenty bucks says I can catch the next three,’ Hunk grinned, poking his head over the divider. 

 

‘I will not take those odds,’ Lance replied, not looking away from his screen. ‘You are the lolly-catching extraordinaire, and I don’t wanna lose my money to you  _ again _ .’

 

‘You are fully invested in this case, aren’t you?’ Hunk asked, offering the bag to his best friend. 

 

‘It’s interesting,’ Lance sighed, digging around to find a snake or a pineapple. ‘I mean, this girl’s family has literally just vanished into thin air.’ 

 

He bit the head off the gummy snake and gestured for Hunk to join him on his side of the divider. 

 

‘Also,’ he continued. ‘Half of them have no files, the mother has a normal file but she’s also gone…’

 

‘Yeah, it’s weird,’ Hunk said, leaning on the back of Lance’s chair. ‘So what’re you gonna do?’

 

‘I’m bringing her some groceries tomorrow so she doesn’t die of starvation,’ Lance replied, swinging the chair around. ‘I offered to help her clean the place up, but she seems pretty hesitant.’

 

‘You’re a random noodle delivery boy, she doesn’t know anything about you, and her family has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. No wonder she’s wary,’ Hunk explained, clapping Lance on the shoulder. 

  
*

  
  


‘Hunk, I need help,’ Lance hissed, popping his head over the divider. 

 

‘Do you two ever actually work?’ Ros asked as she passed with a cup of coffee. 

 

‘Yes,’ Lance replied, spinning his chair around. ‘I need to know what kind of food basics to give to Katie.’

 

‘Well don’t go too crazy, you don’t want her to know you’re using a company credit card,’ Ros said with a smirk. ‘You’re supposed to be a noodle delivery boy remember.’

 

‘I know, I know,’ Lance said, waving her off. ‘I’ve got bread and milk and cheese and peanut butter-’

 

‘Peanut butter isn’t a staple, Lance,’ Hunk reminded him.

 

‘She asked for it specifically,  _ Hunk _ ,’ Lance quipped. 

 

‘Lance, I love that you’re going all out on this case, but remember that it needs to be closed in an appropriate amount of time,’ Ros said, patting him on the shoulder. ‘Also get eggs, they’re very versatile.’

 

‘Eggs, of course! Thanks Ros!’

 

‘Don’t mention it honey.’

 

*

 

Katie was waiting for him this time, stretched out on the concrete steps with a book and her headphones in. 

 

‘Waiting for someone?’ he asked, and she sat with a bright smile. 

 

‘Something like that,’ she said, getting to her feet. ‘Is that  _ all for me _ ?’ 

 

Lance looked down at all the bags in his hands. ‘Uh, yeah. I called my mum and asked her what kind of basics I should get… I don’t think she realised I wasn’t feeding a family of seven.’

 

‘But you bought it all anyway?’ Katie asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

‘Yeah, well, my mum can be pretty persuasive,’ Lance grinned in response. He let her take a few bags from him, and he followed her into the house. 

 

It wasn’t  _ that _ bad.

 

Okay, it was pretty bad. 

 

‘Have you been living on instant noodle cups?’ Lance asked, picking up an empty cup. 

 

‘They’re like, a dollar,’ Katie shot back, putting the bags on the kitchen table. ‘Don’t judge me.’

 

‘I’m not judging,’ he replied honestly. ‘I’m more concerned about your health since these things have roughly the same nutritional value as chalk.’

 

Katie rolled her eyes and started putting things away. 

 

‘We should clean your house,’ Lance declared. 

 

‘What? No, you don’t have to do that,’ Katie said, opening the juice and drinking straight from the bottle. 

 

‘Katie, I’m pretty sure I stepped in noodle juice back there, you don’t want your family to come home to this, do you? Plus, it’ll make you feel better,’ he said with a shrug. 

 

‘I hate cleaning so much,’ Katie moaned, leaning back against the counter dramatically. 

 

‘Come on! We’ll blast some music, get it done in sections, it’ll be fine!’ Lance persisted. ‘And hey look, you have a Playstation! If we clean up the lounge, we can play for a bit!’

 

Katie chewed on her thumbnail while she thought it over. 

 

‘Lance why are you so concerned about me?’ she asked finally. 

 

He waited for a moment, trying to put together a coherent excuse. 

 

_ I’m monitoring your happiness on behalf of the government. The same government that screwed you over, just a different division.  _

 

Yeah, that wouldn’t go down too well. 

 

‘Honestly?’ he asked, leaning against the back of the couch. ‘I moved to the States a year or two ago, and left my family behind. I don’t have any friends, except my buddy Hunk, he works with me. And when I stuffed up a noodle order at 3 in the morning, and you needed help… I dunno. I thought it was fate, or something.’

 

He could see the cogs working in her brain. 

 

‘Sorry, I was pretty pushy. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything,’ he finished. 

 

‘You don’t make me uncomfortable,’ she told him. ‘But I’ve gone from being completely alone, with no food or family or help at all, and then you’re just… there. It’s almost too perfect, you know?’

 

‘Yeah, I get that,’ Lance said with a sigh. ‘But… we’re kinda friends now, right?’

 

Her big brown eyes bored into his, and she twisted the bottom of her jumper around in her hands. 

 

‘And friends look out for each other. Even if you don’t wanna hang out… I can’t just leave you to fend for yourself again. Unless you want me to, obviously, then I will… I mean, I won’t like it, but-’

 

‘You’re babbling,’ she interrupted, and Lance laughed. 

 

‘Yeah… sorry.’

 

‘It’s getting late now, but maybe you could come back tomorrow?’ Katie said quietly, crossing the room until she was standing in front of him. ‘Unless you’re working, or something? You’re right though, this place is trashed and I need to clean it up.’

 

‘I’m working in the morning, but I can get here in the afternoon?’ he offered, and she smiled warmly at him.

 

‘That’d be great. Thank you.’

 

‘Don’t thank me yet, my music choices are awful,’ he grinned, crossing his arms. 

 

She snorted. 

 

‘Honestly, how bad can it be?’

 

*

 

‘Do you have anything that isn’t Beyonce on this playlist?’ Katie yelled, popping her head over the back of the couch. 

 

‘Somewhere,’ Lance yelled back, holding open the big black garbage bag so she could toss the empty noodle cups into it. 

 

‘And she shoots…’ 

 

The cup landed neatly in the bag. 

 

‘Score!’ she cried, throwing her hands in the air. 

 

They managed to bag up all the rubbish they could find, and Lance started on the dishes while Katie mopped the floorboards. 

 

He felt warmth blooming in his chest as she laughed at his singing, and he couldn’t help but laugh back at her when she used the mop as a microphone, swinging her head back and forth. 

 

Once the floor was dry and he was released from his quarantine in the kitchen, Lance began opening up all the curtains in the house. Katie coughed from the dust as she fell back onto the couch, feigning exhaustion. 

 

‘That didn’t take long!’ Lance grinned, sitting down beside her. 

 

‘No, it really didn’t,’ she replied, pushing her fringe back off her head. ‘Now, I’m gonna kick your ass at  _ Killbot Phantasm 1 _ .’

 

‘Like hell you are,’ Lance said, accepting the controller from her. 

 

‘Prepare to die, Lance.’

 

‘Don’t have to, I’ll run circles around you, little pigeon.’

 

*

 

Lance dropped into his work chair, and it groaned under his weight. 

 

‘I thought you said you were coming in at five?’ Hunk whispered. ‘It’s nearly seven!’

 

‘Got caught up with Katie. She smashed me playing Phantasm,’ Lance sighed, turning on his screen. 

 

‘Ros has been looking for - wait, seriously? She beat  _ you _ at Phantasm?’

 

‘Right!?’ Lance cried, standing up. ‘She kicked nine colours of shit outta me Hunk, it was embarrassing.’

 

‘Lance!’ 

 

Ros was beckoning him into her office with a finger. 

 

He made sure his reports were minimised before answering her call.

 

‘Lance, I’ve been contacted by  _ my _ supervisor about your case,’ she began the moment the door snapped shut. ‘Obviously I know the situation behind it, but to them it just looks like you’re dawdling on a case about noodles.’

 

‘I’m making progress, I think,’ Lance said in his work voice. ‘She’s going through a rough time, but I’ve got her to open up a little, and she cleaned up her house and I got her a decent amount of groceries so she at least has some food.’

 

‘And what’s your long term resolution looking like?’ Ros asked, sitting behind the desk and tapping on her keyboard. ‘You can’t just keep feeding your stray forever. She’ll need to fend for herself in case her family don’t return.’

 

‘I know that, but I want to do a little digging in case there’s a possibility that I could find her family for her,’ he said, leaning forward across the desk. ‘This case is really important to me, Ros, is there any way you could swing it so I can work on it a little longer?’

 

Ros clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes playfully. ‘You haven’t fallen for her, have you?’

 

‘What? No, not at all. But she’s a friend now, and I do care what happens to her,’ Lance replied quickly, feeling his neck heat up. 

 

‘Mhmm, sure thing. You have a few more days of this case, then you will be expected to take on another one. We don’t pay you to go around making friends, Agent Blue.’

 

‘Understood,’ Lance said, standing. She showed him the door, and he skipped back to his desk. Hunk had left a fresh cup of tea on it for him. 

 

‘You’re the best, buddy,’ Lance told him, and Hunk snorted. 

 

‘I know.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Su for beta-work, and the server for keeping my Plance watered and thriving.


	3. Lucius Malfoy

‘Are we still on for a games night, or are you hanging out with Katie?’ Hunk asked, shrugging on his jacket.

 

‘Nope, we’re all good,’ Lance replied, shoving his keys in his pocket. ‘You’re cool if I crash at your place, right?’

 

‘Course,’ Hunk said with a grin. ‘I got all the stuff for a lasagne.’

 

Lance shut his locker and slung his bag over his shoulder. ‘And most importantly, I can actually beat you at Phantasm.’

 

Hunk rolled his eyes and the two friends headed towards the exit. Just as Lance opened the door, he noticed that a group of five people in expensive looking suits were on the other side.

 

‘Oh, sorry,’ he said, standing back and holding the door open for them.

 

‘Thank you… may I ask where your supervisor is?’ the one in the front asked. His hair was long and silvery, tied back in a neat ponytail.

 

‘Sure, just to the left, her office is the one with the big windows. You can’t miss it,’ Lance said with a polite smile.

 

The group filed past without a word, and Lance gestured for Hunk to go through the open door.

 

‘I wonder what Lucius Malfoy wants?’ Hunk grinned, and Lance snapped his fingers.

 

‘Dude, I was just about to make that joke, holy shit.’

 

*

  
Hunk was the kind of player who genuinely believed that turning his entire controller would affect the player on the screen. Whenever he was losing to Lance (which was more often than not) he would lean right into his much smaller friend in a last ditch effort to win, and Lance would sputter and swear in outrage.

 

‘Wow, you’re so off your game. She really smashed you, huh?’ Hunk grinned, chucking the controller down so he could get a drink. Lance leaned back against the couch and groaned.

 

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me,’ he sighed. ‘You and I are on equal levels at this game but Katie legit murdered me. I can never show my face at competitive community Phantasm events ever again.’

 

Hunk snorted, and handed him a glass of something fizzy. ‘I want to meet this girl. She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.’

 

Lance choked on his drink and took a moment to catch his breath. Hunk patted him on the back gently, ejecting Phantasm from the console so they could watch Netflix.

 

‘She does not!’ he managed, finally. ‘She’s a case subject, Hunk.’

 

‘Ohh, she’s more than a case subject, Lance,’ Hunk replied. ‘You’ve had this ticket open for like… two weeks or something?’

 

‘I’m just trying to help her,’ Lance said, leaning against the couch with his arms crossed. ‘Plus like… she’s really cool. You’d like her.’

 

‘I probably would. I like a lot of people.’

 

Lance poked his tongue out and sipped at his drink. Successfully this time. He got to his feet in a quick, fluid movement, and stretched.

 

‘Popcorn or chips?’

 

‘Both,’ Hunk decided, flicking through the options on the screen. ‘Romcom or sci-fi?’

 

‘Both,’ Lance replied, throwing a grin over his shoulder.

 

*

 

‘When’s the last time you left this house?’ Lance asked, nudging her with his toe.

 

‘If you’re trying to distract me, it won’t work,’ Katie replied, her fingers tapping buttons like the controller was part of her body. ‘And I dunno. A few weeks ago? Whenever the last time I had to pay a bill was.’

 

‘You wanna go for a walk?’ Lance asked, dropping the controller when the big WINNER banner showed up on her half of the screen. ‘It’s really sunny, and I feel like a coffee.’

 

‘Sure!’ Katie said with a smile. ‘Let me go put on something that’s acceptable in public.’

 

‘What are you talking about?’ Lance grinned. ‘I think you look great like that!’

 

She twirled, fake curtseying in her pink moo cow pajamas and oversized Garrison t shirt, then took off up the stairs.

 

Lance pulled on his shoes and checked his phone.

 

**HUNK: _hows ur ~~crush~~ \- I’m sorry your case going?_**

**LANCE: middle_finger_emoji:**

**HUNK: Good then?**

Lance shoved the device in his pocket and huffed. He’d seen a lot of romcoms. If this was a romcom, Katie would come down the stairs in slow motion, probably in an adorable, floral summer dress and his jaw would drop, and he would realise he was in love with her or some shit.

 

As it was, Katie came downstairs in jeans and a t-shirt with BB8 on it. Her hair was still a mad scientist mess, and she clicked her tongue and fired finger guns at him.

 

‘Right o loser, let’s go.’

 

His jaw didn’t drop, and he had no immediate feelings of love or lust or divine intervention. He did, however, shoot her a grin. Not love, no. That would be ridiculous. He wasn’t in a romcom.

 

Not love, but Hunk did have one thing right. She wasn’t just a case subject.

 

‘Hey Katie… we’re friends, right?’

 

She raised an eyebrow. ‘I’d say yes, but you take so damn long to move from the couch to the door, so I’m starting to rethink that decision.’

 

He laughed and jumped down all the concrete stairs in one go.

 

Friends. He could deal with that.

 

*

 

They picked a table outside, under an umbrella. The waitress took their order, and Katie leaned back in her chair, enjoying the warmth from the sun.

 

‘How did you get so good at that stupid game?’ Lance asked, flicking his sunglasses up on top of his head.

 

‘My brother and my dad played it a lot,’ she replied, pouring herself a glass of cool water. ‘Matt never wanted me to play with them because I sucked. So I would play it at night until I got really good at it, and now I can smash my brother every time.’

 

‘I told my buddy Hunk that you beat me,’ Lance said with a grin. ‘He was gobsmacked.’

 

Katie snorted, but before she could reply a waitress brought them their coffees.

 

Lance smiled as she carefully parted the foam on the top of her cappuccino and pour three sugars into the gap. Watching her savour the foam from the top was almost mesmerising - almost like she hadn’t been through hell over the last few months.

 

‘You’re staring at me,’ she said, breaking his concentration from the tiny little freckles dotting her nose. 

 

‘Oh, sorry. You have a little foam on your nose,’ he said quickly. Katie immediately went _cross-eyed_ , making his heart stutter.

 

‘Where?’ she asked with a tiny frown.

 

Lance dipped his finger in his own foam, and dabbed the tip of her nose.

 

‘There!’ he grinned.

 

She sputtered out an attempt at a response, staring at him. ‘Did you just…’

 

Lance’s cheesy grin grew wider, and a laugh bubbled up his throat. She tried to fight it, but eventually they were both drawing stares as they giggled together.

 

Lance handed her a napkin so she could clean her nose, and noticed that she was a little red in the cheeks. He rested his chin on his hand while she changed the subject, and he felt like maybe Hunk wasn’t totally off on his prediction.

 

*

 

Lance unlocked the front door to his apartment and tossed his keys in the shell shaped bowl in the entryway. The flat was dark and empty, relatively clean since he was never there. His mind was still too active to sleep, so he fell onto the couch to watch bad tv.

 

**LANCE:** Hey buddy u up?

**HUNK:** Yeah, working on case details  
**HUNK:** u okay?

**LANCE:** Yeah.

**LANCE:** I dunno

**LANCE:** Katie and I went out for coffee today

 

He tucked his toes under his blanket while he waited for Hunk’s reply. The minutes ticked by, and his fingers itched. Finally, the phone lit up.

 

**HUNK:** Coffee date?

**LANCE:** Nah just coffee  
**HUNK:** Next time ask her out to dinner  
**LANCE:** Babe  
**LANCE:** I couldn’t do that to you

**HUNK:** <3  
**HUNK:** Seriously just ask the girl out on a date

 

Lance buried his face in his knees, trying to hide the redness creeping up his neck. He didn’t know who he was trying to hide it from - he didn’t even have a cat stalking around the apartment somewhere.

 

**HUNK:** Are you blushing?  
**LANCE:** :middle_finger_emoji:

He chucked his phone on to the coffee table and leaned back into the cushions. He couldn’t deny that he enjoyed Katie’s company. And the fact that he was curled up on his couch, in his empty apartment at 1:24am, wishing she was there to kick his arse at Phantasm, definitely wasn’t helping the odd feeling in his stomach.

 

He turned off the tv and snatched up his phone. He brushed his teeth, and fell into his bed. Just as he drifted off to sleep, his phone lit up one more time.

 

**HUNK:** Go get her man

 

*

 

‘Do you like horror movies?’ Lance asked, licking his ice cream before it dripped down the side of his cone.

 

‘Uh, yes? Who doesn't like horror movies?’ Katie countered, picking smarties eyes out of her ice cream.

 

Lance let out a dramatic sigh, which drew the attention of a pair walking on the opposite side of the track. They were in the park, rewarding themselves with soft serve after cooking up a few days worth of food for Katie’s freezer. Just in case.

 

‘Hunk. He won't go see the new Dead Days movie with me,’ he said, and she nearly dropped her cone in response.

 

‘It's out already?’

 

‘Yeah, on Thursday, wanna go?’ Lance said excitedly.

 

Katie looked like she was mulling it over, and stopped walking. He twirled on his heel to face her.

 

‘If Dead Days is out already, my family has been gone for a month nearly,’ she said, looking up at him with her big brown eyes. Lance offered her a sad smile, opening up an arm. She fell into it, her body flush to his side, and he rubbed her shoulder gently.

 

‘Come on,’ he said quietly. ‘Let's get you home. I have to work tonight anyway.’

 

Katie finished her cone in one bite and made her way to where Lance’s little blue car was parked. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and Hunk’s grinning face greeted him when he checked the screen.

 

‘Hey buddy, what's up?’

 

‘You better get in here early,’ Hunk said quietly on the other end. ‘The suits are here looking for you.’

 

‘Suits?’ Lance asked with a frown, hanging back so Katie couldn't overhear.

 

‘Lucius Malfoy is back, Lance. He wants to _crucio_ you.’

 

‘Shit,’ Lance hissed, digging in his pocket for his keys. ‘I'll be right in. Do I need the outfit?’

 

‘Probably.’

 

‘Damn.’

 

Katie frowned at him - almost like she was worried - when he dropped into the drivers seat. ‘Are you okay?’

 

‘Crisis at work, might have to dump and run, sorry Katie,’ he said, throwing the car into reverse.

 

‘That's fine, will I see you tomorrow?’

 

He shook his head. ‘I have a work thing all day, I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow night?’

 

She smiled at him, and nodded her head. He noticed that she was twisting the sleeve of her jumper around - she did that a lot. He brushed it aside, and concentrated on the road.

 

He dropped her off with a wave, too concerned with what might be in for him at work to be too cheery about it. He caught sight of her chewing her lip in worry as she watched the car go around the corner, then she was gone.

 

*

 

He changed into his suit in the carpark.

 

He caught sight of himself in the window of his car, shot himself a set of finger guns, then moved to the elevator.

 

‘Where the hell have you been?’ Hunk greeted him with a hiss.

 

‘What’s up?’ Lance asked quietly. He caught sight of Ros, and her shoulders sagged in relief when she saw him.

 

‘Agent Blue, a word?’ she called in her professional work voice.

 

‘Of course,’ he replied. Hunk shot him a look that he interpreted as ‘good luck’, and he followed Ros to her office.

 

It was empty for the moment, and Ros shut the door behind her.

 

‘I don’t know what you’ve been digging into, Lance,’ she began, sitting down opposite him. ‘But there are agents here and they want to speak with you. They won’t tell me where they’re from, but I think you’ve tapped into something big here.’

 

‘They’re not going to hurt Katie, are they?’ he asked quickly.

 

Ros shrugged in response. ‘I honestly don’t know. They mean business.’

 

‘They’re not gonna like… put a bag on my head and drag me away and break my fingers, are they?’ he countered, trying to lighten the mood. She levelled him with a look that would stop a hurricane in its tracks.

 

‘That’s not something to joke about,’ she said, picking up her phone and punching in a number. ‘But if they try, we won’t let them.’

 

‘Can I at least ask Hunk to check on Katie?’

 

She silenced him with a finger. ‘Hello? Yes this is Agent Silver. I have Agent Blue in my office and he’s willing to speak with you. Excellent. Thank you.’

 

‘Ros, I _need_ Hunk to check on Katie,’ Lance insisted.

 

‘I don’t think they’ll let anyone leave the building, I’m sorry Lance,’ Ros sighed.

 

He fell back against the chair in defeat. Nerves bundled in his stomach, and his imagination took hold. What if that was the last time he would ever see her?

 

‘Agents,’ came a smooth voice from the doorway. Lucius Malfoy was standing there in his fancy suit, and his goons were taking up various positions around the main service room.

 

‘Please, sit,’ Ros said politely, offering him her desk chair.

 

‘If you don’t mind, I would like to speak with Agent Blue alone, Agent Silver,’ Malfoy said, taking her seat.

 

‘Oh, that’s fine. I’ll be right outside if you need me, Blue,’ she added, and he relaxed slightly. He watched her walk over to Hunk, and the two exchanged words he couldn’t hear.

 

‘Thank you for coming in, Agent Blue. May I call you Lance?’

 

‘Of course,’ Lance replied, fiddling with the button on his sleeve. ‘May I ask what this is about?’

 

‘My name is Lotor, I work for a classified division of the government. We’ve been monitoring your activity over the last few weeks in relation to the Holt family, and you’re straying very close to classified information.’

 

‘Do you know what happened to Katie’s family?’ Lance interjected, and Lotor’s mouth twisted into a cold smile.

 

‘First name basis, Agent? Are you a little too close to this case?’

 

‘She’s a friend,’ Lance replied coolly. ‘And she’s been left in a pretty unfair situation.’

 

‘I regret that Miss Holt has been inconvenienced, however I can’t let you continue to meddle in the affairs of my department. As such, I am shutting down any investigations even remotely connected to this case, and all case files will be removed-’

 

‘You can’t just shut down my case!’ Lance said, sitting forward. ‘I have a ticket to fill!’

 

Lotor placed a phone on the desk between them and pressed play with one long finger.

 

**‘** _A shooting star?_ ’ The sound of Katie’s voice made his heart hurt. ‘ _Man, I’d kill for some singapore noodles. Hear that star? I wish I had noodles._ ’

 

He stopped the recording and steepled his fingers under his chin. ‘Now, correct me if I’m wrong, Agent Blue, but you delivered your case subject their noodles?’

 

‘She needs more than just noodles-’

 

‘Do I need to play it again?’ Lotor asked, and Lance detected the underlying threat in his voice. ‘Your case subject was given the opportunity to wish for whatever she wanted. You gave it to her. As such, this case is now _closed_.’

 

Lance stared at Lotor across the desk. He wanted to shout, scream, swear - maybe punch him in his thin, Malfoy face. Instead he just stared.

 

‘You are forbidden from contacting your case subject again, I assure you she is being looked after.’

 

‘You call dropping cash in her letterbox once a week looked after?’ Lance snapped, getting to his feet. ‘She’s alone, she’s worried about her family, she can barely afford to keep her house and pay the bills and buy food, you’ve ruined her life!’

 

‘I assure you, Agent Blue, it was the actions of her family that have left her in this situation. I’m just picking up the pieces. I’ve arranged for a STAR to fall at 11pm tonight, that will be assigned to you.’ Lotor stood, and smoothed out the front of his suit jacket. ‘Good luck with your future endeavors, Lance. We’re expecting good things from you.’

 

With that, Lotor left the office. His men flocked to him in one swift motion, like they practiced it in their spare time.

 

He steadied himself on the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

_You are forbidden from contacting your case subject again._

 

‘Lance? What happened?’ Hunk and Ros had joined him in the office.

 

‘They’re shutting down the case. I’m not allowed to see Katie anymore,’ Lance replied quietly. His eyes lit up as he turned to his best friend. ‘But you are, Hunk! You have to check that she’s okay for me, please.’

 

‘I’ll drive past on my way home,’ Hunk promised.

 

‘What if they’ve taken her too?’ Lance moaned. ‘It’s all my fault, I got her into this mess.’

 

‘Enough, Lance. I’m sure Katie is fine, and you’re just overreacting. Hunk will drive past her house when his shift is over. For now, you two can go back to your desks and tie up any loose ends with this case, and prepare for a new one,’ Ros said.

 

Lance’s shoulders dropped, and Hunk patted him on the back.

 

‘Come on buddy. You got a STAR in a few hours,’ he said quietly, and Lance shrugged him off.

 

‘I don’t want a STAR assignment, I want to make sure Katie’s okay,’ he snapped.

 

Hunk gave him a gentle nudge towards his desk, and placed the lolly tin in front of him.

 

‘Have some sugar, take a few deep breaths, tie up your loose ends and we’ll worry about Katie later, okay?’ he said quietly.

 

Lance nodded, and wiggled his mouse to bring the computer to life.

 

His heart sank when his program popped up, and the case file was gone. Not closed - gone.

 

Poof.

 

Every interaction he logged, every word, every kind gesture. Removed from cyberspace forever.

 

‘What the fuck?’

 

Lance frowned, and popped his head over the divider. Hunk never cursed.

 

‘My case file is gone too?’ he frowned. ‘Why would they remove mine? I was dealing with someone who had lost an arm in a freak accident?’

 

Lance jumped to his feet and leaned over Hunk’s shoulder to stare at the screen.

 

‘Maybe they were connected and we didn’t realise it? That’s why Malfoy was so weirded out, he thought we knew more than we do!’

 

He almost ran to the filing room. They kept hard copy files of their cases - the basic details anyway. Something about not relying on computers all the time or some crap like that. Lance had never been so happy for the stupid system in his whole life.

 

He yanked the drawer open and there it was. He tucked it under his arm, then opened the drawer where Hunk’s case file should be.

 

‘What are you doing?’ Ros asked, leaning against the door.

 

‘...nothing,’ he replied in the most suspicious way possible. ‘I just uh…’

 

‘I didn’t think he knew we kept files. If you can get them out of the building, I’ll turn a blind eye,’ she said with a cheeky smile.

 

‘You’re the best,’ Lance said, kissing her on the cheek. ‘We just got a lead.’

 

‘Don’t get too distracted, you still have a STAR falling tonight,’ she told him, locking the door behind them.

 

‘Yeah yeah, it’ll be fine,’ he said with a wave of his hand.

 

Hunk was looking at him curiously. ‘You’ve lost it.’

 

‘I grabbed both the paper files, can you take them home? I’ll come to yours tonight and we can go over them, see if we can work out the connection,’ Lance said quietly, handing him both of the folders.

 

Hunk shoved the files in his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. ‘I’ll go by Katie’s place now, then I’ll go straight home. You’re gonna be late, aren’t you?’

 

‘Yeah, STAR falls at 11, so I won’t be there til midnight.’

 

‘You wanna leave it and you can come over tomorrow?’ Hunk suggested, turning off his monitor. ‘We can get pizza.’

 

‘Yeah… sounds good,’ Lance said with a grin. ‘Thanks buddy.’

 

‘No problemo.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this instead of finishing season 8.   
> Thank you for being patient x


	4. Jail Time Be Damned

**[ Agent Blue - a scheduled STAR at 11:03pm has been assigned to you. Should you have any problems or questions regarding this case, please email your supervisor. ]**

 

Lance jumped slightly as the STAR launch footage appeared, and the beautiful shining satellite shot across the sky. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he waited for the recording to come through, and his mind wandered to Katie.

 

Gods, he hoped she was okay.

 

Hunk had messaged him to say that he couldn’t see anything suspicious, and that he’d gone home, so that had relaxed his mind slightly.

 

**[ STAR launch complete. Case file #13024 - assigned to Agent Blue at 11:14pm, 9/8.**  
Subject: EDWARD DANCROFT   
Audio File Attached ]

 

Lance played the audio file through his headphones, twisting the cord around his fingers. His new case subject just wanted to be able to cover the rent. At least it was an easy STAR.

 

He turned off the computer, grabbed his suit jacket and waved to Ros on the way out.

 

When he got home he fell into bed, and was asleep in minutes.

 

*

 

It was odd for Lance to wake up and realise that he wouldn’t see Katie that day. Normally he organised his day around her - to lay in bed and stare at the roof felt like he was _missing_ something.

 

He dragged himself off the mattress and into the bathroom, where he spent a solid half an hour under the hot water of his shower.

 

Wrapped only in a towel, he wandered around his house for a bit, sipping at coffee that had long gone cold, staring out of his windows at the dark clouds that were rolling in.

 

Eventually he put on clothes and made some actual food, fixed his hair in the mirror and washed all three of his dishes.

 

**LANCE:** I’m coming over now  
**HUNK:** sure thing bud

 

It took all his self-control to get from his place to Hunk’s without swinging by Katie’s house. Legally, he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near her. As he skipped up the steps to Hunk’s beachside apartment, he pondered over what the punishment would be.

 

A fine? Worth it.

 

Jail time? Probably not that worth it.

 

Hunk answered the door with a grin, and Lance felt his body lighten up a little.

 

‘Password?’ Hunk said, blocking the entry with his body.

 

Lance huffed, and fell against his best friend. ‘Hunk I’m having a bad day.’

 

‘It’s not even nine thirty,’ Hunk replied, patting his back. ‘Come on, let’s do this thing.’

 

They turned Hunk’s lounge room into a bomb site, spreading the paper files across couch cushions and the coffee table. Lance plugged his phone in for some background thinking music that Hunk deemed to be more of a distraction than anything, but they left it playing anyway.

 

‘So, my case subject is Katherine Jean Holt,’ Lance said, running a hand through his hair. ‘She’s alone in her parent’s house, is too scared to leave because she-’

 

‘Jean?’ Hunk interrupted with a frown.

 

‘What?’

 

‘How’d you know her middle name was Jean?’ Hunk questioned. ‘It’s not on her file.’

 

Lance raised an eyebrow. He could feel heat creeping up his neck and inflaming his ears. ‘That’s what you’re focused on right now?’

 

‘Did you guys hold hands yet?’ Hunk grinned, leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands. ‘You been making out for the last however many weeks?’

 

Lance threw a pillow at his head. ‘It’s not like that.’

 

‘You want it to be like that,’ Hunk laughed, tucking the pillow behind him for later. ‘Anyway. Your inability to snag a girlfriend aside. Alone in her house because…?’

 

Lance scowled at his best friend. He knew that Hunk meant well, but Katie was a case subject, a friend. Someone he wanted to help. Not someone he wanted to kiss.

 

Not someone he wanted to kiss that much.

 

He took a deep breath, pushed his feelings deep down where they wouldn’t bother him, and continued. ‘Alone in her house because her father and brother never came back from their job with the government. They were issued with a very vague statement apparently, that they were both dead and the bodies weren’t able to be released because yadda yadda.’

 

Lance paused to look at the photo that was attached to Katie’s file; her pretty, smiling face; her long hair pushed back with a headband; no glasses.

 

‘Uh… sorry. Her mother, Colleen,’ he continued, ignoring Hunk’s smug grin as he leaned over to grab Colleen’s file. ‘Didn’t buy the official story and protested very loudly against it. Went to papers and news stations and conspiracy theorists and shit.’

 

Hunk moved from the floor to the couch, making neat piles out of the papers Lance had thrown everywhere.

 

‘Then one day she just… didn’t come home,’ Lance said, his voice slowing. ‘Katie waited, and she never came back. Someone in a suit rocked up and told her that her mother caused too much noise, she wouldn’t be coming back. They’ve been leaving her money every few weeks, but it’s not enough to actually live, just enough to survive.’

 

He let his arm drop, the paper crinkling as he gripped it in his hand.

 

‘You okay?’ Hunk asked.

 

‘Fine,’ Lance muttered, tossing the crumpled notes away from him. ‘Tell me about your case subject.’

 

‘Sure, this is Takashi Shirogane, he worked for a division of the government that isn’t named on his file, but his education records cite that he attended the Galaxy Garrison-’

 

‘Seriously?’ Lance asked, surprised. ‘The Garrison is almost impossible to get into unless you’re a freak.’

 

‘I know, I’ve applied every year since I finished university,’ Hunk said with a pained smile. ‘Engineering division. Anyway. Takashi was offered this government job straight out of the Garrison, he had top marks, but there’s no record at all of what he did there. He lived alone, had no family since he was in the foster system, and some sort of workplace accident left him missing his right arm, from just above the elbow.’

 

Lance accepted the photo Hunk handed him curiously. The Takashi in the photo was smiling, a young cadet in his Garrison uniform.

 

‘He wished that he could get through everything and still be okay on the other side,’ Hunk said sadly. ‘We covered the cost of his prosthetic, and were paying off his rehabilitation fees, but I don’t know what’ll happen to him now.’

 

Lance lined up the photo of Takashi with the photo of Katie.

 

‘So… all we need to do is find out how these two people are connected, right?’ he asked.

 

‘Easy as pie,’ Hunk said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. ‘Tea?’

 

*

 

The pair worked all day, sorting through the files and making notes on each other’s cases, really only stopping to ask questions or make each other drinks or snacks.

 

‘I think I’m calling it,’ Lance said, stretching his arms above his head. ‘I think I know Takashi Shirogane better than I know myself at this point.’

 

‘Yeah?’ Hunk asked with a yawn. ‘Wanna tell me how he lost his arm then?’

 

‘I wish I could. I’m probably just gonna go home and pass out,’ Lance replied.

 

He helped Hunk neatly stack the papers in piles so that they could organise them later, and he shrugged into his jacket.

 

‘Drive safely,’ Hunk said, eyeing off the pouring rain.

 

‘I’ll let you know when I get home,’ Lance said with a yawn. He jogged to his car and shook the rain out of his hair before turning on the ignition.

 

He got to the end of Hunk’s street when it hit him; he hadn’t seen Katie in 24 hours.

 

God, he was so screwed.

 

He turned his car to the direction of her house, because jail time be damned.

 

*

 

It was hard for him to see anything through the heavy rain, but he wasn’t blind. Katie’s house didn’t have a single light on, which was weird. She slept with the lights on to deter people from breaking in, and also the suits.

 

He parked and watched the house for a while, looking for any sign of forced entry or movement inside.

 

Lance felt his stomach turn - what if something had happened to her while he wasn’t there?

 

Quicker than lightning, he was out of the car and up the steps. He banged on the door.

 

‘Katie!’ he called, peering through the frosted glass into the dark entryway. ‘Oh god, please be here… Katie! It’s Lance!’

 

‘You’re knocking on the wrong door,’ came a voice from behind him.

 

He whirled around, and there she was. Wrapped in a jumper and blanket, soaked to the bone. Relief washed over him like a wave.

 

‘I’m so glad you’re okay,’ he said, slipping down the steps to her. ‘Why aren’t you inside?’

 

‘They…. They came and changed the locks. I can’t get in. I could only grab a bag of stuff, but it’s all wet…’ she said, her lip trembling. ‘I don’t have anywhere to go…’

 

Lance reached out an arm and pulled her close to him. She broke down in his arms, and he lowered her to the bottom step when her body gave out.

 

‘Katie, hey…’ he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear over the rain. ‘I need you to stand, I’m gonna take you back to my place, okay?’

 

She just sobbed into his chest, and Lance felt his heart sink.

 

What had the poor girl ever done to deserve all this crap?

 

Lance half carried her to the passenger seat, and he buckled her in. Then he grabbed her small bag and chucked it in his back seat.

 

Katie fell asleep against the window as he drove home, the heater blaring to help dry her out. He left her sleeping in the car while he ran to his front door and unlocked it, leaving her bag just inside.

 

She mumbled something he couldn’t hear when he picked her up, and he tried to ignore how light she felt in his arms.

 

He set her neatly on the couch, locked the front door and called Hunk.

 

‘ _Hey, you okay?’_

‘I have Katie on my couch. She’s been out in the rain all day, and they’ve kicked her out of her house. Probably because of me, Hunk I don’t know what to do,’ he moaned quietly.

 

‘ _Well, look after her first. We’ll deal with the rest in the morning. You need to warm her up._ ’

 

Lance gently shook Katie, and she woke with a start, gripping his arm.

 

‘Hey, you’re okay… you’re safe,’ he cooed, kneeling in front of her. ‘You’re freezing, we’ve gotta get you in a warm shower, okay?’

 

She stood and peeled off her jacket, then her jumper. Lance took them and chucked them on the laundry floor. He led her to the bathroom and ran the shower while she stood and watched, eyes blank.

 

‘Okay… you can use it for as long as you want, it won’t go cold… just don’t fall asleep. I’ll get you some dry clothes and set up somewhere you can sleep, okay?’ he said gently, and she nodded slowly.

 

He slid the door shut as she stared off into the distance. He waited a moment or two longer, releasing a pent up breath when he heard the sound of the water starting up.  

 

The apartment only had one bedroom, and there was no way he was going to make her sleep on the couch after the day she’d had.

 

He quickly stripped the sheets and fitted new ones, made sure that he’d put his favourite pillow on the couch and left her with the rest to choose from, and found her a shirt and a pair of pajama pants to borrow.

 

‘Katie?’ he said quietly, knocking on the door. ‘You okay?’

 

He heard the water shut off, and her quiet voice. ‘Just a second.’

 

The door opened a moment later, and Lance was stunned into silence by the image of her in a towel. Her hair was long and loose and damp, her eyes were still red from crying.

 

‘Hi, sorry,’ he breathed. ‘You’re gonna stay in this bed tonight, I’ve left you fresh clothes and stuff… we’ll deal with all of this in the morning, okay?’

 

She stood on tiptoes to look around him with a tiny frown.

 

‘Isn’t that your bed?’

 

‘Well yeah, but it’s fine. I’ll sleep on the other bed,’ he lied, knowing he only had one bed in the house.

 

‘Are you sure?’ she asked, fighting a yawn.

 

‘Yeah. I’ll let you… get changed. We’ll deal with everything in the morning, okay?’ he promised.

 

Katie smiled weakly at him, and he took that as his cue to leave.

 

*

 

He lay on his back on the couch, listening to her shuffle around in the queen-sized bed on the other side of the wall.

 

It was like he could hear everything; every little sniffle, every time she turned around.

 

Every loud thud of his heart against his ribcage.

 

With nothing to do but try and sleep, Lance’s mind wandered.

 

It wandered to how light and tiny and frail she felt when he carried her, and it wandered to how she’d buried her face in his chest and cried.

 

It wandered to her drowning her sadness in his shower while he worried, only one room away.

 

It wandered to her giggles when he’d dotted her nose with coffee foam.

 

It wandered to her playful taunts when she kicked his ass at Phantasm.

 

It wandered what would happen now.

 

His heart thumped slightly harder as the thought crossed his mind.

 

_This is my fault_.

 

He swore to himself that he’d make everything right again.

 

*

 

Lance woke promptly at 6:45am, like he did every morning.

 

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, the memories from the previous night flooding back. Quietly, he tiptoed to the bedroom door and opened it just a crack.

 

Katie was sleeping peacefully, legs tangled in the blankets and the little lamp on the bedside table burning brightly.

 

He set about making himself some tea and some toast, deciding against a shower until she was awake. The tv at 7am was mind-numbingly boring, so he watched early morning infomercials while he sent out updates.

 

First, he texted Hunk the full story, instead of the quick rundown he’d given him at 1 o’clock that morning.

 

Second, he texted Ros, telling her that he wasn’t going into work.

 

She messaged him back almost immediately, asking if he was okay. She knew him so well, he thought with a warm smile.

 

Katie didn’t emerge from the room for another two hours at least, and when she did, his heart sank a little.

 

Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were still drowsy with sleep. She looked defeated.

 

‘M-morning,’ he said, trying to keep up normal appearances. ‘Hungry?’

 

She nodded, rubbing her eyes.

 

He made her peanut butter toast and coffee, while she plonked herself on the couch.

 

‘I thought you said you were sleeping on a bed,’ she mumbled accusingly.

 

‘I needed to make sure you were okay,’ Lance said with a cheeky smile. The plate made a clinking sound on the coffee table as he set it in front of her, and she ate it as quickly as she could while still being polite.

 

‘I am sorry about last night,’ she said, picking up crumbs with her finger. ‘I promise I’ll be out of your hair today.’

 

‘What?’ Lance replied with a frown. ‘You can’t leave, you’ve got nowhere to go.’

 

‘There’s a women’s shelter a few blocks from my house,’ she said, leaning back. ‘I’ve known for a while now that there was a chance I’d go there.’

 

‘Katie, there’s a perfectly comfortable bed there,’ he said, gesturing. ‘There’s a tv, movies, games, internet, food and someone who actually gives a shit what happens to you.’

 

She scowled at him. ‘I’m not just going to impose on your life out of nowhere.’

 

‘I’m not just going to let you leave because I can _help you_ ,’ he moaned, wringing his hands in frustration.

 

‘I’m not a stray kitten, Lance, now that I have nothing to lose I can get work and find a place to live and just try and live my life,’ she snapped back.

 

‘Stay here until you have a job at least,’ he pleaded, stepping in close to her. She didn’t shy away, instead scowling up at him.

 

It struck Lance as endearing instead of intimidating.

 

‘I get the couch,’ she demanded.

 

‘Hard no.’

 

‘I’m not taking your bed.’

 

‘I’m usually out of here at like six in the morning. I don’t want to wake you.’

 

‘I’m still not taking your bed.’

 

‘You are. You take the bed, and I’ll let you cook.’

 

She quirked an eyebrow, and crossed her arms. With a practiced movement, she shifted her weight to one hip. ‘You’ll _let me_ cook?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

‘I hope you like your eggs burned and your noodles instant.’

 

‘I really do.’

 

‘You’re insufferable.’

 

‘You’re cute.’

 

That worked. Katie’s face went bright red, still frozen it it’s adorable little pout. She opened her mouth once or twice trying to formulate a response, but she couldn’t get the words out. Instead, she turned on her heel and marched off into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

 

Lance grinned after her. He felt a little surge of triumph.

 

Lucius Lotor Malfoy ponytail guy wouldn’t get his slimy hands on her when she was here.

 

When she came back out of the room she was wearing another one of his shirts and her jeans that he’d left on the heater to dry. Her feet were bare and made cute little padding sounds as she walked to the kitchen bench and sat on the barstool.

 

Lance leaned forward on his elbows, and she pulled a notepad and a pen towards them both.

 

‘If I’m going to stay here, there’s going to be some rules,’ she began.

 

‘I agree wholeheartedly.’

 

‘First things first, you’re keeping your bed.’

 

Lance threw his head back dramatically. ‘Oh my god, give it a rest about the bed.’

 

She wrote it down anyway, and he huffed.

 

‘Second, I’ll cook every second night. I’m not very good at it, but I don’t want to mooch off you.’

 

Lance nodded. ‘I’m okay with that.’

 

‘Third, if you want me gone at any time, just say so and-’

 

‘Nope!’ He snatched the pen neatly from her fingers. ‘We’re not even going there.’

 

She scowled as he scribbled out the bed rule, and added a few more.

 

‘I clean my house from top to bottom on Saturday mornings,’ he began, intent on outlining his schedule for her. ‘I also have a boy’s night with my buddy Hunk on Wednesdays. We alternate where we have it, so one week we’ll be here and the other we’ll be gone.’

 

‘Cool,’ she smiled, running her hands through her hair. ‘I can vanish while you guys are doing your thing.’

 

‘Also, no touching my computer,’ he said, gesturing to the laptop on the table. ‘I haven’t deleted my internet history and I don’t want you to judge me based on it.’

 

_Also it has most of my research notes about you and your family._

_A lot of top-secret government information._

_Probably porn._

‘Gross, Lance.’

 

‘What? I’m a young, single male. What do you expect?’

 

She chewed her lip. ‘Actually, that’s another thing… if you want to bring anyone home, um. Obviously I can just go for a walk or go stay somewhere else or something.’

 

Lance snorted. ‘Yeah that won’t be happening. I promise.’

 

Katie smiled awkwardly at him. ‘Okay, well… moving on.’

 

‘Yeah. The tv, the consoles and games and movies and everything is there for you to use, so as long as you make your own profiles you can go nuts with that. The kitchen is open, if there’s anything you want just add it to the shopping list.’ He gestured to a magnetic notepad on the fridge door, right above a picture of his family.

 

‘I’ll look for a job asap,’ she added. ‘I was worried about leaving my old house in case the suits came in and stole stuff. I guess they’ve taken everything by now.’

 

Lance took her hands and squeezed them tight. ‘I’ll see what I can do about that,’ he told her.

 

She didn’t let go like he thought she would, and he focused on the feeling of her smooth skin against his. The budding feelings he’d been squashing for a while now were resurfacing. She seemed to realise they’d been holding hands for longer than 5 seconds and quickly pulled them away.

 

‘So what are you doing today?’ she asked.

 

‘I’m gonna try and break into your house and get some of your shit,’ he said with a grin.

 

*

 

‘Remind me again why I’m doing this?’

 

They had parked a block away, and were dressed very suspiciously in black.

 

‘Because Katie is living in my house and if I see her wandering around in my shirts and shorts for much longer I’m gonna explode,’ Lance explained.

 

Hunk snorted. ‘I’m betting it takes you less than two weeks before you cave and do the dirty.’

 

Lance dropped his keys and swore. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. She’s been through a traumatic experience, she doesn’t need me being creepy on top of that.’

 

‘So basically, you’re gonna be having longer showers for the next few weeks,’ Hunk grinned, shutting the door behind him.

 

‘Pretty much, yeah.’

 

The house was dark, but there weren’t any signs that it had been abandoned. Peering through the windows, Lance could see that all the furniture and photos and knick knacks were in their usual place. There was even a mug with a spoon beside it on the coffee table.

 

‘We gonna do this?’ Hunk asked, his voice wavering slightly.

 

‘Yeah, let’s get it over and done with. No doubt the Malfoys have the place under surveillance.’

 

Hunk apparently was an expert lockpicker? Lance had no idea how but his big friend managed to get the door open without breaking it.

 

‘So we need to get her clothes, and her laptop. Any other stuff that looks vaguely important or sentimental. Also, we’ll ransack the office and see if we can find anything about Katie’s dad and brother, and whatever they were working on.’

 

‘This went from a sweet thing you were doing for your girlfriend to like, mission impossible,’ Hunk moaned.

 

Lance rolled his eyes. ‘Study is upstairs on the left, you start looking while I grab her some stuff.’

 

Katie’s bedroom was new territory for him. Whenever he’d been over, he usually stayed downstairs. Now that he was inside, he was learning a lot about the girl living in his apartment.

 

She loved space.

 

Posters covered every scrap of the wall; NASA, the Galaxy Garrison, hand painted artwork. Inside the wardrobe was a mess, but he grabbed as many shirts and pants and skirts and dresses that he could fit into a garbage bag.

 

He tried his best to be as quick with her underwear, then moved to her desk. He grabbed the most worn looking books, the handful of dvds she kept in her room instead of downstairs which he assumed were personal favourites, and a few photo frames.

 

He paused to look at each one briefly - Katie and her brother, Katie and her family, Katie and her dog on Christmas morning wearing a god-awful Christmas jumper, Katie and her brother surrounded by people at the Garrison open day.

 

Takashi had been a Garrison graduate; Lance briefly wondered if that was their connection but soon dismissed it. Every man and his dog had a connection to the Garrison – the city had sprung up around it.

 

The whole reason his department even existed was because they could sneakily use the Garrison tech to record wishes, and because residents were okay with seeing weird things flying through the night sky.

 

‘Lance, we got a problem.’

 

Lance dropped the bag of things gently on the bed, and ran down the hall to the study.

 

It had been torn apart.

 

‘Jesus,’ he muttered.

 

Hunk sighed. ‘We’re not gonna find anything in here.’

 

‘Maybe they missed something,’ Lance suggested, pushing papers around. ‘There’s gotta be something.’

 

Hunk got on his hands and knees and started sorting. ‘I’ll have a look, but no promises.’

 

Lance left his friend to it and went back to Katie’s room. He grabbed her doona and pillow, a few more keepsakes and a small box of jewelry. With that idea in mind, he also snuck into her parents’ room.

 

He took a few older looking pieces of jewelry from Colleen’s case, as well as Sam’s watch. He noticed a tattered copy of the Galaxy Garrison Simulation Guide on Sam’s bedside table. There had been a copy on Katie’s desk as well.

 

What a bunch of nerds, he thought to himself with a fond smile.

 

The next room he pillaged was Matt’s. Again, Garrison propaganda was everywhere, as well as books and computer parts and another copy of the stupid simulation manual. More photos went into the bag, along with a few shirts and books and a very old ipod that might have some of Matt’s favourite music on it.

 

Then he went back to Katie’s room, chucked her dog-eared, highlighted, slightly torn copy of the simulation manual into his bag, then went to help Hunk.

 

‘Whatcha got buddy?’

 

‘Nothing too useful. There are pages and pages of these weird numbers though, I’m wondering if it’s a code,’ Hunk said, handing him the papers.

 

‘Maybe. We should grab them anyway.’

 

Hunk placed the papers neatly in an empty folder, as well as a few more that he thought might be useful.

 

A beam of light made them freeze, and Lance felt his heart rate pick up when a black car parked itself out the front of the house.

 

‘Did you lock the door behind you?’ he whispered, and Hunk nodded.

 

They tiptoed through the house with the bags and slipped out of the house into the backyard. Hunk pulled a few of the fence panels away and they snuck out onto the street where Lance’s car was waiting.

 

The boot popped open with the touch of a button, and they rolled slowly away from the house before turning on the engine to get onto a main road.

 

‘Let’s never do that again,’ Hunk breathed.

 

‘We’re cat burglars now Hunk. You’re my ride or die partner.’

 

‘It’s the ‘die’ part that worries me.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter length consistency? idk her  
> Posting from hospital; send sweet validation and maybe something that doesn't taste like cardboard  
> x S


	5. Falling is Exhausting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the spacing, ao3 hates me and I honestly can't be bothered going back to fix it again.

Katie was sitting at the counter waiting for him to come back, a long cold cup of tea in front of her and her hair in two braids that were all twisted at the ends.

 

She raced over to relieve him of bags of her things – the folders from Sam’s office had gone home with Hunk, just to be sure she didn’t find them and think that they were planted to spy on her or anything.

 

‘How was it?’ she asked breathlessly. ‘Did they catch you?’

 

‘Nearly,’ Lance snorted in reply. ‘We broke your back fence to get out.’

 

For a brief moment an expression of outrage crossed her features, but it was replaced with relief pretty quickly. ‘And the house?’

 

‘It’s trashed. Sorry Katie,’ he said quietly.

 

Her shoulders sank. ‘It’s… it’s okay. I mean I didn’t expect them to just leave it untouched for me.’

 

Lance gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I grabbed some clothes for you, as well as some photos and your mum’s jewelry and stuff. Things I thought I’d want if it were my parents.’

 

Katie hugged the bag of things closer to her, the last remnants of her old life.

 

Lance kicked off his shoes and hung his jacket on the hook by the door. When he turned around, Katie gave him a quick hug around the middle.

 

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly into his chest, and he hugged her back.

 

‘You’re welcome,’ he replied, squeezing tightly.

 

*

 

   
  
Lance’s alarm went off at six in the morning, every morning. Apparently it was loud enough to wake Katie as well, because the last few days she’d gotten up and made him a coffee while he had a shower.  
  
‘Thank you, coffee donkey,’ he yawned, and she threw a tea towel at his head.  
  
‘I could always go back to bed, you know. Then you’d have to make your own coffee.’  
  
‘Please, god, no,’ he grinned, sitting at the barstool to drink it. She sipped at her own cup of tea (with no sugar, what a monster), and braided a chunk of her hair.  
  
‘Need anything from the supermarket?’ he asked, and she pointed to the fridge.  
  
She’d scrawled peanut butter on the notepad, with a little smiley face next to it.  
  
‘Did you eat all of it already?’  
  
‘I can’t help myself,’ she moaned in response.  
  
Lance snorted, and threw the tea towel back at her, making the cup of tea slop over her hand.

 

*

 

  
Work had become less of a chore for Lance now that he knew that Katie was okay. He was happy to work on his STAR assignments, back in the mindset of helping people in any way he could.  
  
Only now, he had someone to go home to.  
  
Not like that.  
  
More like, his apartment wasn’t dark when he walked in - the lights were on, usually music or a movie was on, the heater was on to welcome him in from the cold.  
  
Katie was excellent company. He still hadn’t kicked her butt at Phantasm the way he really wanted to, but they played together anyway. She didn’t know how to cook much, but the few meals she did know were delicious.  
  
Lance had introduced her to his way of cooking - loud music, dancing, the works. It was much more fun to work with other people, and Katie could move if she got into it.  
  
‘Games night at yours tonight?’ Hunk interrupted, his face popping up over the divider.  
  
‘I’ve got uh…. a guest.’  
  
‘Ah, your little pigeon,’ he grins. ‘That’s okay. She can play.’  
  
‘She’ll murder us both.’  
  
‘Excellent. I’ll be over at six.’  
  
Lance rested his head on the keyboard, creating an ongoing row of the letter j.

 

*

  
  
Lance slammed the door shut behind him, not pausing to enjoy the music, the heater or the sound of the boiling kettle.  
  
His scarf and jacket were tossed carelessly onto the couch; he hadn’t even bothered to cover his star pin, which he was normally paranoid about.  
  
‘Woah, woah, where’s the fire?’ Katie asked, snapping her book closed.  
  
‘Hunk will be here in half an hour,’ Lance said, shutting the door to the bedroom. ‘I don’t have anything to feed him.’  
  
‘Isn’t Hunk like, a chef?’ Katie called back.  
  
‘Yes,’ Lance cried, flying back out of the door wearing something more comfortable. ‘We were gonna skip this week, but he changed his mind.’  
  
‘Well calm down,’ she said with a grin, leaning over the back of the couch. ‘We’ve got basic stuff in the cupboards, why don’t you just make pancakes or something?’  
  
‘Would that work?’ He pulled open cupboards and started shuffling around.  
  
Katie jumped over the back of the couch and joined him in the kitchen. His entire body tensed.  
  
‘Katie, you uh…’  
  
She looked down, and he couldn’t help but laugh at her face when she realised she had no pants on.  
  
‘Oh, shit,’ she hissed, sprinting to the bedroom.  
  
The sound of his laughter filled the apartment, and it was this laughter that Hunk walked into.  
  
‘Oh god, what’s happened?’  
  
‘Nothing, nothing. Hey,’ Lance grinned, leaning against the counter. ‘How do you feel about pancakes?’  
  
‘I’m always down for pancakes.’  
  
Katie re-joined them, dressed decently this time, and introduced herself to Hunk with a smile. In the kitchen, Lance whipped up a batter, then left it to set in the fridge for a bit before he cooked it.  
  
‘Lance here says you’re a demon on Phantasm?’  
  
Katie smirked. ‘Been talking about me Lance?’  
  
‘On occasion,’ Lance replied, still working in the kitchen.  
  
‘Cut him some slack.’ Hunk set up the console so they could play. ‘It’s not every day a pretty girl ends up crashing in your flat.’  
  
Katie went fire-engine red, and Lance dropped the ladle, splattering pancake batter across the floor and his legs.  
  
‘Hunk!’ he cried, too embarrassed to turn around.  
  
‘What are you talking about, Hunk?’ Katie said, recovering quickly. ‘I’m sure you’ve crashed here plenty of times, and you’re prettier than both of us.’  
  
‘It’s so true,’ Hunk sighed, handing her a controller. ‘I like you. You can stay.’  
  
‘Oh, I was gonna go hang out in the other room while you played.’  
  
‘What? No, don’t be ridiculous. I was promised that I would have my ass handed to me.’  
  
Katie crossed her legs on the couch, and Hunk stayed on the floor, using it as a backrest.  
  
‘Prepare to have your ass handed to you then,’ she grinned.

 

*

  
  
‘Working together is better than one on one anyway.’  
  
‘That sounds like someone who’s sick of losing, Hunk.’  
  
‘Lance, tell your girlfriend to be nice to me!’ Hunk yelled.  
  
‘Lance! Tell your boyfriend to stop being a big baby,’ Katie shouted after him.  
  
The sounds of Lance messing things up in the kitchen made them grin at each other, and they shared a fist bump.

 

*

 

  
‘You’re never coming over again,’ Lance declared quietly, standing outside his apartment while Hunk merely grinned at him.  
  
‘You’re just mad because we get along.’  
  
‘You ganged up on me,’ Lance pouted, arms crossed. ‘And you inferred, multiple times, that Katie was my girlfriend.’  
  
‘Oh my god, you clearly like the girl, and it’s obvious why. She’s not a case study anymore, just ask her out!’ Hunk half-whispered.  
  
‘Drive safe. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Lance said, shoving Hunk towards his car as a way of dismissing him.  
  
‘ _Kiss her_!’  
  
‘Go away, Hunk,’ Lance said with a wave.  
  
He waited until Hunk’s headlights vanished, then went back inside the warm house, out of the rain.  
  
Katie was sitting on the couch with a shit eating grin on her face.  
  
‘What?’  
  
‘I like Hunk. He’s great,’ she said, leaning over the back of the couch again.  
  
‘He is great, when he’s not being a bastard,’ Lance agreed, picking up plates so that he could stack the dishwasher.  
  
‘Can he come over next week?’ She started wiping up the bench so it was free of flour and syrup and spilled batter.  
  
‘Nah, next week we go over to his place. He’s already planning something a bit more gourmet,’ Lance grinned.  
  
Katie paused, and leaned against the counter, chewing her lip. ‘We?’  
  
‘Oh yeah. If I don’t bring you, he’ll never talk to me again.’ He also paused for a moment. ‘Unless you don’t want to, of course.’  
  
‘No! I want to, tonight was really fun!’ she said quickly.  
  
Lance beamed at her.

 

*

  
  
Katie had built a nest out of his blankets on the couch, and he sat beside her, just close enough to tuck his toes under the warmth. Outside it was pouring rain, and they’d decided to just split a pizza instead of cooking.  
  
‘Disney goes very well with pizza, you know,’ Lance said with a grin.  
  
‘Really? That what you wanna watch?’  
  
‘Yep. Here, pick one of these.’  
  
A small pile of DVDs later, Katie was concentrating on the spines of various Disney films.  
  
Lance felt that now-familiar bloom of affection in his chest, looking at her. Her hair was in two loose plaits, and she toyed with the end of one while she read the back of Big Hero 6. Two socked feet swung back and forth, her oversized t-shirt covering her favourite pj shorts; the ones covered in planets that he knew she’d bought from the kids section a long time ago.  
  
‘I haven’t seen this one,’ she said, handing him Moana.  
  
‘What?’ He jumped to his feet in outrage. ‘How?’  
  
Amused eyes bored into his back while he put the DVD on, and he squished up close to her to emphasise how excited he was to watch.  
  
When she didn’t shuffle away, Lance re-tucked his toes under the blankets, and she threw some of it over his legs as well.  
  
Katie laughed at all the right places, and Lance could feel her getting closer and closer until she was practically leaning on him.  
  
It took him the entire Shiny sequence to realise she’d fallen asleep.  
  
He didn’t want to wake her for a number of reasons;

Firstly, she probably needed her sleep.  
  
Second, it felt good. Her small, warm body was right up against his, and he’d wrapped an arm around her shoulders so that it wouldn’t go completely numb. She made little movements as she breathed steadily in and out, and one hand had closed over the blanket and a bit of his shirt.  
  
Third, just for a moment at least, it didn’t feel like he was sheltering her from the government, lying to her about who he really was, or doing solid, constant research on her family.  
  
Falling for someone was _exhausting_.  
  
Once the credits started rolling, Lance knew he had to wake her up.  
  
‘Katie,’ he whispered, giving her a gentle shake. ‘Katie, hey… you gotta go to bed.’  
  
‘No,’ she mumbled, pulling the blankets - and his shirt - up even higher.  
  
‘Katie…’ He tried desperately to tug his shirt out of her grip. If she woke up to see that she’d attempted to undress him, there’d be chaos.  
  
‘Not sleepy.’  
  
‘Yeah, clearly,’ he snorted. He managed to wrangle himself out of her grasp, and slowly stood up. She curled up into a ball, the blanket tucked around her shoulders.  
  
‘Katie, c’mon.’ He didn’t want to leave her there. With another gentle shake, her big brown eyes peered up at him.  
  
‘Lance?’  
  
‘Yeah, you fell asleep. Come on, you gotta go to bed.’  
  
‘I’ll stay here,’ she insisted.  
  
And with that, Katie rolled over and went back to sleep.  
  
Defeated, Lance trudged into his room. He hadn’t slept in it for a few weeks now, and even though it looked the same, it wasn’t. First, her things were everywhere. Not in a trashy gross kinda way, but more of an ‘I didn’t give her any wardrobe space for her stuff’ kinda way.  
  
Her Garrison simulation manual was sitting on his bedside table, along with a small handful of the photos he’d nicked from her place.  
  
Second, when he put his head on the pillows he was overwhelmed by how much it didn’t smell like him anymore.  
  
He was going to spend all night with his face in a pillow that smelled of Katie, and he knew that he was screwed.  
  
His last thought before he passed out was that this girl had him wrapped around her little finger.

 

*

  
  
Lance’s alarm woke him up at 6, same as always. It took him a moment to gather his surroundings, and he snuggled deep into his doona for a while, just savouring the moment. The couch wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, but it wasn’t _his bed_.  
  
He reached over to grab his phone and switch off the alarm, and in his confusion he knocked some of Katie’s photos off the table.  
  
‘Shit.’

The photo that had landed on the top of the others was of the whole family, plus a handful of other people. A sullen looking teenager with a bad haircut besides a slightly older young adult with wide shoulders and a kind smile. An older man, who wore the Garrison uniform with a logo on the front.  
  
A graduation photo, Lance realised. Matt’s graduation.  
  
For some reason, the other graduate in the photo tugged at his memory. He left it on the bedside table while he showered, then tucked it into his pocket before he went to have breakfast.  
  
Katie was still asleep on the couch, snoring lightly.  
  
Lance tried his best to be quiet, but the sound of the boiling kettle had her sitting up. Her plaits were a tangled mess, her eyes sleepy and her shirt was hanging off one shoulder.  
  
His heart melted.  
  
‘Morning,’ he said, quickly stirring her tea and handing her the mug.  
  
‘Morning,’ she yawned. ‘Did I fall asleep last night?’  
  
‘Yeah, you were very insistent that I leave you there,’ Lance smiled.  
  
‘Oh god, did I fall asleep on you?’  
  
‘Yeah.’  
  
‘Shit, Lance I’m so sorry,’ she moaned, falling forward as dramatically as she could without spilling boiling tea all over herself.  
  
Lance chuckled. ‘Katie, honestly, I don’t mind at all.’  
  
She blinked her big brandy coloured eyes at him, like she was trying to work something out.  
  
‘Anyway,’ he said, pulling on his jacket. ‘I’m off to work. Call me if you need anything?’  
  
‘Sure thing, thanks Lance.’  
  
He couldn’t help but feel that she was disappointed for some reason.

 

*

  
  
Hunk wasn’t at the office when he arrived, so he just tucked the photo he’d stolen back into his pocket while he worked on his STAR case.  
  
Hunk arrived a few hours later, and Lance made a point to drag him to the kitchen.  
  
‘Why is this making my brain hurt?’ he asked, handing the photo over.  
  
‘Did you take this from Katie?’  
  
‘Yeah, it’s from her brother’s graduation from the Garrison,’ Lance explained, pointing to the robe Matt was wearing.  
  
‘Lance, that’s Takashi,’ Hunk said with a frown, handing the photo back. ‘Takashi and Matt graduated together.’  
  
‘Holy shit.’ Lance stared at the photo of a much younger Takashi Shirogane. His hair was jet black, and obviously he wasn’t missing an arm. His face was clear of scars as well. ‘So, maybe… whatever Takashi was working on that cost him an arm, Matt and Sam were also working on?’  
  
‘It’s possible.’ Hunk scratched his chin. ‘Maybe we could talk to Takashi about it…’  
  
‘Yes!’ Lance said, his face lighting up with a grin. ‘We’ll don the suits, go out in style, like undercover spies!’  
  
‘Woah woah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ Hunk said quickly.  
  
‘Who’s getting ahead of themselves?’  
  
Lance jumped a foot in the air when Ros appeared behind him. ‘Don’t do that!’  
  
‘I’m very sorry, but I heard something about you lot going undercover like spies?’ she said, a teasing glint in her eyes.  
  
‘Yeah, if you wanna talk Lance outta that, I’d really appreciate it,’ Hunk grinned.  
  
Lance scowled, and left the two of them to their teasing.

 

*

  
  
Ever since she’d fallen asleep on him, Katie had been acting strangely.  
  
Sometimes, she’d sit on the opposite side of the couch, her toes tucked under one of his blankets and her eyes fixed squarely on the television.  
  
Other times, she’d sit closer; it always sent a little thrill of something through him when she sat closer.  
  
They were watching cartoons, winding down after dinner - both exhausted. As the credits of the show rolled, Lance was suddenly aware of just how close she was.  
  
Slowly, she leaned against his side.  
  
‘Is this okay?’ she whispered.  
  
‘Yeah,’ he whispered back.  
  
The television rolled into the next show-  a boring documentary on Megastructures that Hunk would probably have enjoyed - but they didn’t move.  
  
He was hyper-aware of her bony shoulder digging into his bicep, her hand curled around her waist, right by the elastic of his pj pants, the ghost of her breath across his ribs. Every swell of her own rib cage with each breath, moving against him.  
  
Would it be insanely cliche if he put his arm around her? Used _The Move_?  
  
If she stayed like that his arm would be dead in a few minutes.  
  
Testing the waters by moving his arm slightly, he held his breath. He draped his arm loosely around her shoulders, and she settled back into his side.  
  
_Okay, don’t panic_.  
  
Lance was 200 per cent sure that Katie could feel his heart beating viciously against his ribs. It was drowning out the tv, surely.  
  
They finished the Megastructures documentary, but didn’t move. Lance was hesitant to go to bed – it was like there was some sort of spell; a magical moment that he didn’t want to end just yet.  
  
‘Lance?’ Katie whispered, and he looked down at her. ‘We should probably go to bed.’  
  
Ah, spell broken.  
  
‘Yeah, sorry,’ he said, removing his arm and shuffling away from her slightly.  
  
She stood and stretched, the smooth skin of her belly peeking out from under her t-shirt. When she reached the doorway to the bedroom, she turned slightly.  
  
‘You know,’ she began. ‘This bed is… really big. It doesn’t make sense for you to sleep on the couch when we can share…’  
  
Lance felt his neck heat up. ‘A-are you sure? The couch is really comfy, and I don’t mind-’  
  
‘Lance,’ she said firmly. ‘I want you to come and sleep with me in the bed.’  
  
A beat.  
  
‘Just sleep!’ she backtracked, her voice rising in pitch. ‘Not sleep _with_ me, just like, sleep _next_ to me.’  
  
It gave him a sense of relief that she was just as embarrassed and awkward about all this as he was.  
  
‘Okay.’  
  
They went through their pre-bed routines in silence, moving around each other with ease. Lance tried desperately to ignore that idea that he would be sharing a bed with a girl that he most definitely had feelings for, and he focused on brushing his teeth.  
  
Beside him, Katie had her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth while she braided her long hair down her back.  
  
‘How do you do that without looking?’ Lance asked with a mouth full of toothpaste.  
  
‘Practice,’ she grinned back, dripping her own toothpaste down her chin.  
  
Lance snorted, and the awkwardness was broken. They climbed into the bed, and Katie flicked off the lamp.  
  
He stared at the ceiling, concentrating on the feeling of sharing the bed; her weight on the mattress; the blankets tucked around her toes; her body radiating heat; the braid splayed across her pillow. Lance rolled to the side and stared at her back. He admired the curve of her spine, the muscles in her back and the spatter of freckles across her shoulders.

It struck him that she'd turned off the lamp. The whole time he'd known her, Katie had slept with the lights on, to scare away the loneliness. 

It was amazing how such a small observation could make his heart soar. 

With these thoughts in his mind, Lance drifted off to sleep with the sound of her steady breathing in his ears.

 

*

  
When Lance woke the next morning, he felt bright and refreshed. Apparently, weeks on his couch weren’t as satisfying as he’d originally thought. As he slowly came to his senses, he began to realise a few things.

 

Firstly, Katie was flush up against him, her back pressed against his chest and her legs tangled with his. In his sleep, he’d apparently draped his arm over her waist, and was holding her close to him.

 

Secondly, he found that he very much enjoyed the position they’d found themselves in. She was warm and soft and everything felt right. It was like all their problems had melted away and left only this pure and wholesome spooning moment that he was sure he would remember when he was old and grey.

 

Third, he had like, half a boner. It killed any idea of wholesomeness and if Katie found out then everything would be ruined, and he may as well tie himself to a STAR and be shot through the sky.

 

In her sleep, Katie sighed and shuffled closer to him. All his worries dissipated, and he relaxed a little, burying his face in the space between her neck and the pillow. She smelled good, like coffee and soap.

 

Very gently, he kissed the back of her neck.

  
The way Katie’s body tensed told him that she wasn’t actually asleep, she was wide awake. Shit. She knew he had a boner, she had felt him kiss her, oh gods, he was going to be in so much trouble.  
  
She rolled over in his arms, staring up at Lance with a curious expression.  
  
At least it wasn’t angry, he thought.  
  
‘Sorry,’ he said quietly. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’  
  
Katie just looked at him, like she was trying to work something out. She swallowed. ‘You missed.’

A beat.  
  
‘What?’  
  
‘You missed,’ she repeated, breaking eye contact and looking down. ‘My mouth is here.’  
  
Lance’s heartbeat picked up as he realised what she was asking him. She leaned forward to press her lips lightly to his.  
  
It was a chaste kiss, she was just testing the waters after all, but Lance’s body was on fire. Energy raced through his limbs, and he was suddenly wide awake. They didn't move, but her lips were firm on his.   
  
She pulled away, waiting for his reaction. ‘Was that okay?’  
  
‘Yeah.’  
  
‘Can I do it again?’ she asked, and he nodded.  
  
The next kiss was more insistent. How could a simple kiss, a brief touch of lips, a minuscule surface area of skin if he was perfectly honest, reverberate through his whole body like this? It charged through his limbs, toes curling, fingertips itching to _touch_. He took her face in his hands and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She traced her fingertips across the scratchy stubble on his chin and Lance’s heart jumped at the feeling. Heat raced through his limbs at the tiny sounds she made against his mouth, and her arms wound themselves around his waist.

Half boner be damned, he tugged her into his lap and made a soft keening noise as she ran her hands through his hair. 

This was _bliss_.

Their make out session was interrupted far too soon by Lance’s phone alarm going off. He had to disentangle himself from her to turn his alarm off, and she was sitting up when he turned around.  
  
He took in the sight of her tangled braid and her red cheeks. The strap of her singlet had slipped down her arm, exposing her bare freckled shoulder, and her lips were swollen from their kissing. He grinned at her, and she just laughed and hid her face in her hands.  
  
Lance wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side. He kissed her head and felt her smile against his skin.  
  
‘I have to go to work,’ he said.  
  
Katie kissed the side of his mouth and wrapped herself up in the blankets. ‘I'll be waiting here for you.’  
  
Lance went through his morning routine in a daze,   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading  
> As always, my most profound love for Su for being a wonderful friend and beta.  
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think ~  
> xx S


	6. If You'll Have Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who likes fluff

*

  
They didn’t talk about the kiss, or their feelings, but their dynamic had definitely shifted. Lance had spent the whole day working on his STAR assignment but had barely gotten anything done. Even Ros had commented on his lack of productivity, but she probably assumed it was because he’d been banned from Katie and her case.   
  
… _Katie_.  
  
There were no instructions on how to go from here; were they dating? Friends with benefits? Was it just some wild misunderstanding, and she didn’t like him at all? The notes on his screen had blurred into a jumbled mess as his brain played out every worst-case scenario, including her finding out he wasn’t just a noodle delivery boy.  
  
‘Is this okay?’ Katie asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. She’d thrown on an old garrison t-shirt and some jeans. ‘It’s not a fancy thing, right?’  
  
‘We’re going to Hunk’s place, it’s definitely not fancy,’ he replied with a snort. ‘It is cold out there though. You might need a jacket or something.’  
  
‘Nah,’ she said with a wave of her hand. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, leaving a few tendrils to curl around her face. ‘I’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go, I’m starving!’  
  
The drive there was mostly quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Lance knew they were both figuring out exactly what they were, and that pushing her into a conversation about it might scare her off. But it didn’t stop his mind from racing, because dating her definitely wasn’t part of the plan when he’d started out.  
  
‘You okay?’ she asked, worried eyes illuminated by the orange street lights.   
  
‘Hm?’  
  
‘You’re frowning,’ she said quietly. ‘Are you okay?’  
  
He smiled at her. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t stress.’  
  
They pulled into Hunk’s driveway and Katie darted to the front door, claiming that she was cold. Lance locked his car behind them with a grin and joined her on the doorstep.   
  
‘Password?’ came Hunk’s voice from inside.   
  
‘It’s fucking cold!’ Katie cried, banging on the door.   
  
‘Fair enough,’ Hunk replied, opening up and stepping aside to let them in.   
  
His place was warmer than Lance’s, with a bright red wall in his lounge, tan coloured furniture and photos everywhere. The kitchen was huge and had an array of cut up vegetables in neat piles on the bench.   
  
‘Katie, are you allergic to anything, or have any dietary requirements?’ Hunk asked, taking his spot in front of the chopping board.   
  
‘Nope,’ she replied, popping the p. She climbed onto the stool opposite him and watched him cut up an onion.   
  
‘Couldn’t you have done that before I got here?’ Lance asked, sliding onto the stool beside Katie. His eyes were already welling from the onion sting.   
  
‘Oh, I could have,’ Hunk grinned. ‘But if I’m gonna beat you at video games it’s better for me if you can’t see.’  
  
He finished chopping and threw everything into a pot, adding spices and herbs. They moved to the lounge and Hunk insisted that they play a game where they actually had to work together.   
  
While Lance and Katie played, he began to realise just how their relationship had changed. Maybe because they were with Hunk, and not at home. She leaned on him, poked at his face and he teased her back.   
  
‘So, when did you guys start officially dating?’ Hunk asked with a grin as he set down steaming bowls of curry at the table. Lance choked on his drink and looked over at a slightly red Katie.   
  
‘We’re not,’ he sputtered, and Hunk quirked an eyebrow.   
  
‘Okay, we’ve been friends for years, Lance. I know all your little tells,’ he said, sitting down.   
  
‘We’re not dating,’ Lance replied. He caught Katie’s eye, and realised that he was well and truly sunk. ‘I mean, I’d love to… honestly. But we just haven’t talked about it and…’  
  
‘You would?’ Katie asked, sitting up a little straighter.   
  
‘Well, yeah. You’re amazing. Who wouldn’t want to date you?’ Lance replied, feeling his neck grow hot.   
  
Hunk clapped his hands together. ‘Excellent, congratulations you two. Katie is that a Garrison shirt?’  
  
Lance breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation turned. Apparently Katie was more than happy to discuss the Garrison, and it gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. His heart was slamming against his ribcage, threatening to break it. Something brushed gently against his ankle, and he met Katie’s eyes again. She smiled and went back to her conversation with Hunk.  
  
The thudding in his chest slowed, and the heat on his neck cooled. It was replaced with the soft realisation that _she liked him back_.   


In the few months he had known Katie, he’d entertained the thought of them being together multiple times. It was just a side effect of slowly falling for someone, imagining yourself going on dates with them, teasing them, cooking with them, kissing them…

 

Technically, he’d already kissed Katie that morning. It turned his stomach to mush when he thought about doing that again. But more than that? More than kissing? Stuff like… dates? And meeting parents? Things like… hugs of the no-pants variety?

 

He was getting ahead of himself. That wasn’t something to bring up just yet - they weren’t even officially dating for crying out loud.

 

‘...when my brother and his friend Shiro graduated together they pushed my dad into the pool!’

 

‘Shiro? That’s an odd name. Isn’t that an odd name, _Lance_?’

 

Lance snapped out of his thoughts to see that Hunk was giving him the look. The ‘ _pay attention this is important’_ look.

 

‘I’m so sorry, what did you say?’ he said quickly, leaning forward.

 

‘Katie was telling me about a friend of her brothers named _Shiro_ , isn’t that a weird name?’ Hunk repeated while Katie just looked between them, wondering what she was missing.

 

Shiro?

 

It hit him like a truck.

_Shirogane._

‘Oh, yeah. Is that a nickname or something?’ Lance asked.

 

‘Yeah, his full name was Takashi Shirogane. He was a pilot, but he and Matt studied together,’ she explained. ‘I wanted to go to the Garrison as well but with all this family stuff going on I kinda missed this years applications.’

 

‘I’ve been rejected every year for three years,’ Hunk confessed, his face falling a little. ‘But maybe it was a sign from the universe! We’ll both get in together next year!’

 

‘Yes!’ Katie laughed, taking his hand and shaking it, a promise.

  
*

 

Katie hugged Hunk tight before she made the run to the car in the rain. Lance stayed behind a moment, waiting until the car door shut before he said anything.

 

‘So that’s what we were missing!’ Lance hissed. ‘Takashi and Matt Holt didn’t just graduate together, but they were close friends! They must have gone to work on the same project as Sam! And whatever that project was, it required a _pilot._ ’

 

‘More important than that thought,’ Hunk grinned. ‘Go have a _good long chat with Miss Holt about the current status of your relationship_.’

 

Lance flipped his friend off as he dashed to the driver’s side, only to find that Katie had locked the doors on him. He could see her giggling as he got rained on, and she clicked the button that would let him inside.

 

‘Cruel,’ he huffed, turning on the car and jamming the heating up as high as it would go.

 

‘It was funny,’ she countered, her arms wrapped around her skinny frame.

 

‘I told you to bring a jacket,’ he told her, shrugging out of his and giving it to her.

 

‘Lance, this is wet.’

 

‘Oh, if you don’t want it, that’s fine just give it back-’

 

‘No, I want it,’ she said, slipping her arms into it and pulling it tight around herself. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’

 

Lance gave her a warm smile as affection bloomed inside him. ‘Yeah, home.’

 

The drive home was quiet, the only sound being the rain on the roof and the soft, late night Love Songs and Dedications on the radio. Lance wondered what would happen when they got back to the apartment. Should they talk about it? Was there anything to talk about?

 

‘Lance?’ Katie said quietly as they pulled into the driveway.

 

‘Mm?’

 

‘You’re thinking too hard,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘You’ll get frown lines.’

 

He rubbed his forehead while she made the run to the front door. He grinned and stayed in the car a little longer, leaving her in the rain.

 

When he finally let them both into the house, they were equally soaked. Her ponytail hung limp down her back, the ends starting to curl as they dried, and his jacket hung from her shoulders, making her look much smaller than she was. A laugh bubbled up her throat as the automatic light outside turned off, plunging them into darkness.

 

‘Are you cold?’ Lance asked, and he heard the sound of his wet jacket hit the floor.

 

‘A little,’ she confessed from just in front of him. ‘I probably should have brought my own jacket, huh?’

 

Before he could answer, he went still as a pair of arms wound themselves around his middle. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as her cold hands found their way under the hem of his damp shirt.

 

‘Is this okay?’ she asked, and Lance nodded.

 

He held his breath as her fingertips traced his skin lightly. Time seemed to slow as she explored the lines of his stomach, the bumps where his hip bones pushed against his skin.

 

‘What’s this?’ she asked curiously, running her finger over a rough ridge.

 

‘Scar,’ he breathed, and she laughed softly.

 

‘Obviously,’ she said, and some of the tension eased at the sound of her familiar teasing tone. ‘How did you get it?’

 

‘My sister stabbed me with a stick,’ he replied, lifting his shirt. Her giggle made his breath catch.

 

He couldn’t see much in the dark, but his eyes were adjusting, and her brown eyes came into focus, staring up at him. He closed the space between them, capturing her lips in a sweet, cold kiss that left him warm in his core.

 

‘Did you mean what you said?’ she asked, breaking the kiss off. ‘That you’d date me?’

 

‘If you’ll have me,’ he said quickly, and she stood on tiptoes to press her frozen lips to his again.

 

Lance wrapped his long arms around her small waist and pulled her flush against him. The seeping cold of their clothes made the experience incredibly uncomfortable, but it was too romantic for them to care all that much.

 

Katie’s fingers found the hem of Lance’s shirt and quickly pulled it up over his head as he moved them further into the apartment, arms still tight around her waist. It wasn’t until Katie’s knees hit the edge of his bed that he realised what path they were barreling down.

 

‘Katie…’ he mumbled against her lips. ‘Are you okay with this?’

 

She pulled away from him, opening her mouth to reply, but said nothing.

 

Before Lance could ask her if she was okay, she sneezed.

 

His arms loosened from around her, and he watched her sink onto the mattress, covering her mouth. Laughter broke the silence, his shoulders shaking from the effort of trying to hold it in.

 

‘Oh my god.’

 

‘I _ruined_ it,’ she moaned, burying her face in her hands.

 

Lance dropped to his knees so he was eye level with her. ‘That was _adorable_ ,’ he grinned, pushing her wet fringe back from her face. ‘You sneeze like a _kitten_.’

 

‘I do not,’ she growled. ‘Don’t sass me, you don’t know my life.’

 

Lance’s heart melted a little and he took her face in his hands. ‘You need to get into a warm shower or else you’ll be sneezing a lot more.’

 

‘That’s a myth actually,’ she informed him. ‘The cold and wet doesn’t contribute to the flu. It’s just a coincidence.’

 

Lance rolled his eyes and offered his hand. With a swift tug she was on her feet and he led her to the bathroom. ‘Fine,’ he conceded. ‘I still don’t want your cold toes on me when we go to bed.’

 

Katie’s eyes lit up with mischief and she leaned across him to turn on the shower. ‘Are you going to watch me?’

 

He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

 

‘Oh my god, get out,’ she laughed, hitting him lightly with her towel.

 

Lance closed the door behind him and dried off his hair on an old shirt. He made two steaming cups of hot chocolate for them and crawled into his bed to warm it up.

 

She sauntered out of the bathroom in his favourite pair of millenium falcon pj pants and her singlet shirt. Her hair was dripping wet down her back despite her rubbing it with her towel and her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the shower.

 

‘Like what you see?’ she asked, a cheeky twinkle in her eye.

 

‘Yes,’ he answered honestly, patting the spot beside him on the bed.

 

Katie chucked her towel into the bathroom and crawled onto the bed beside him, snuggling deep under the covers.

 

‘Katie,’ he said, shuffling down to her level. ‘Do you want to go out with me? I mean… like… be my girlfriend?’

 

She kissed his nose. ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ she said with a small smile. ‘Also, I think I found a job. The little cafe on the corner is looking for a waitress.’

 

‘Starry Lion Cafe?’ he asked, lifting his arm so she could get closer to him. ‘Where we went for coffee that one time?’

 

‘Yeah,’ she yawned, leaning against his side. ‘I have an interview tomorrow.’

 

Lance leaned over her to click off the lamp, ignoring the full mug of hot chocolate. ‘You’ll smash it.’

 

‘Thanks, _boyfriend_ ,’ she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder.

 

‘Goodnight, _girlfriend._ ’

 

*

  
Waking up to lazy kisses had put Lance in a good mood as he strolled into work, and the grin on Hunk’s face told him that he was _definitely_ blushing.

 

‘Good night?’ he asked, twirling around in his chair.

 

‘No thanks to you,’ Lance replied, chucking his bag under his desk and booting up his computer. ‘All I know is that we got a breakthrough in the case. That’s what we need to focus on right now.’

 

Hunk grabbed the armrests of Lance’s chair and dragged him away from the desk. ‘Lance. Did you or did you not ask the girl out. Answer carefully…’

 

‘I…’

 

‘Do not tell me you blew this. I _set it up perfectly_!’ Hunk moaned.

 

Lance just grinned, biting his lip a little. He wasn’t very good at keeping secrets from his best friend - never had been.

 

‘We’re here to work,’ he repeated, that guilty, smitten look still all over his face. ‘This isn’t the time to talk about our private lives, Hunk.’

 

Hunk punched the air triumphantly, earning a few stares from their coworkers. ‘Finally!’ he hissed happily.

 

A weight on the back of his chair made Lance look up and notice Ros leaning on it.

 

‘Finally what?’ she asked curiously.

 

‘Lance got a girlfriend,’ Hunk said before Lance could stop him.

 

‘Oh, congratulations Lance!’ she smiled, hugging him. ‘Who’s the lucky girl?’

 

‘Her name is… uh, Pidge,’ Lance replied, shooting Hunk eye daggers.

 

‘Pidge?’

 

‘Yep. Weird family, you know?’

 

‘Pidge who?’

 

‘...Gunderson,’ he said quickly.

 

‘You’re a terrible liar, Lance,’ Ros snorted as she headed back to her office. ‘I’m glad Katie’s not going through all this crap on her own.’

 

Lance struggled to hide his smile, so he focused on his STAR assignment to distract himself.

 

*

 

Lance and Hunk decided to go out for lunch, despite the pouring rain. He knew Hunk just wanted to discuss his budding relationship with Katie but they had more important matters to go over.

 

‘Okay, so we now know that Takashi and Matt-‘

 

‘Uh-uh,’ Hunk interrupted, waving a hand in his face. ‘I’m not working on my lunch break. We’re going to get expensive, hot coffees, and some overpriced food, and talk about you and Katie and whatever happened last night.’

 

Lance hoped to god he wasn’t blushing, but the heat on his neck and ears told him that he was. ‘Nothing _happened_ , we just talked and made out a little bit then went to bed,’ he said sheepishly, busying himself with adding sugar to his cappuccino.

 

‘Went to bed, or _went to bed_?’ Hunk asked, his eyebrows raised suggestively.

 

Lance snorted into his cup and inhaled foam and chocolate powder. ‘ _No_ ,’ he spluttered, wiping his face with a napkin. ‘I’m not rushing into this, Hunk. She’s got a lot going on, and she doesn’t need me on top of that just trying to get into her pants.’

 

‘I know, I was just teasing,’ Hunk grinned. ‘I’m glad you guys worked everything out.’

 

‘Yeah, it was good.’

 

‘How’d she take it when you told her you weren’t really a noodle boy?’ Hunk asked, digging his fork into a perfect looking vanilla slice.

 

Lance’s hand paused, his coffee cup resting on his bottom lip. ‘…Say again?’

 

‘You told her that you weren’t really a noodle boy, right?’ Hunk asked, his tone growing serious. ‘You can’t start a relationship with _lies_ , Lance!’

 

‘I’m not… really? Am I? Oh god.’ He put the cup back on the saucer a little harder than necessary. ‘How do I tell her, Hunk? She’ll think I was planted or something!’

 

‘You were… kinda. Just explain the STAR program and tell her you’re a part of it. Katie likes you a lot, she’ll understand.’

 

‘What if she leaves?’ Lance moaned, running his hands through his hair. ‘What if she leaves and Lotor gets her? I could never forgive myself.’

 

‘Well that just means you need to tell her soon, in case he finds out that you’re letting her stay with you, and fucks it all up,’ Hunk said wisely.

 

Lance had completely forgotten that Katie thought he was a noodle boy. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach. Their relationship was so _new_ … it was _fragile…breakable._

 

‘Oh god, how am I gonna tell her?’

 

‘Maybe,’ Hunk said, offering a forkful of slice. ‘You could start with “ _hey Katie I really like you but I’m not really a noodle boy I work for the government but I promise I’m not a spy, I mean I spy but I’m not spying on you, at least not any more, oh god please don’t hate me I’m madly in love you with you and want to have your babies”_?’

 

‘I’m screwed,’ Lance moaned.

 

‘Yeah, I don’t envy you,’ Hunk replied, not unkindly.

 

Guilt gnawed at Lance’s stomach. He’d have to tell her tonight.

 

*

 

When he got home, Katie was already in the kitchen, dancing to their playlist while she cooked.

 

‘Hey!’ she cried happily when she saw him.

 

His heart lifted at the sight of her, long hair loose around her shoulders and a pair of fluffy slippers on her feet. ‘You’re in a good mood,’ he said with a smile.

 

‘I got the job! I start tomorrow!’ she grinned, bouncing over to him and throwing her arms around his neck.

 

The warmth of her body and the smell of her shampoo made him relax, and Lance hugged her tight. ‘That’s awesome, congratulations,’ he hummed, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

 

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, amber eyes boring into his.

 

‘Yeah… I’m all good. What’s for dinner?’

 

*

 

 

All through dinner his mind raced as Lance tried to work out how to tell her the truth. Katie knew he was distracted, but she left him to his thoughts, hoping he would work through them on his own.

 

As they wound down for the night, watching mindless television with his head in her lap, Lance weighed the pros and cons. Hunk was right when he said that the truth would be hard for her to hear, but it was non-negotiable at the end of the day. He simply couldn’t _lead her on_ while he was dating her, and the longer he waited the worse off it would be.

 

Her fingers raking through his hair soothed his aching heart and he sighed.

 

‘Big day?’ she asked quietly, and he tilted his head up to look her in the eyes.

 

‘Kinda,’ he replied, closing his eyes again. ‘Just a long work day.’

 

‘You should bring home some noodles for dinner tomorrow,’ she suggested. ‘I could really go some Pad Thai.’

 

A little smile graced his features. ‘I can do that for you,’ he said, and Katie leaned down to kiss him gently on the forehead.

 

‘Can I say something really weird?’ she whispered. ‘You can’t judge me though.’

 

‘I would never,’ Lance said with a little frown, sitting up. ‘What’s on your mind?’

 

‘Okay, here goes.’ She took a deep breath and looked down into her lap, like she couldn’t bear to say it to his face. ‘The night… the night we met. When you rocked up at 3 in the morning with those noodles…. I had…ugh this is so stupid.’

 

Lance brushed her hair out of her face and gently tilted her head so she was looking him in the eye. ‘It’s okay, tell me,’ he said softly.

 

‘I saw… a shooting star that night,’ she confessed. ‘And I wished for some noodles; I was so hungry, and I was upset and alone and scared. And I wished for noodles out loud but I think in my heart I just didn’t want to be alone anymore?’

 

Lance’s heart was beating twice as hard in his chest and his voice stuck in his throat. He simply threaded his fingers through hers, and it spurred her into talking even more.

 

‘And then you turned up and you were so nice and helpful and honestly Lance I think you _saved me_.’

 

Oh no, he thought, squeezing her hand. This is what it felt like when your heart broke.

 

‘You fed me, and you got me out of my funk and you made me clean my house and when all that shit went down with the suits you let me stay in your house and now, here with you it’s almost like it’s too easy?’ Her voice wobbled a little at the end of her sentence and her eyes were glassy with tears.

 

‘Katie…’ he murmured, tracing her jaw with his thumb. She leaned into his hand and sucked in a breath. Lance realised that she was trying really hard not to cry, and he pulled her into his lap so he could hold her tight.

 

‘I just wish… like…. I wish my parents could meet you? And my brother? They would love you _so_ much.’

 

No, _this_ is what a breaking heart felt like.

 

‘We’ll find them, Katie,’ he promised. ‘We’ll find them together, and Hunk will help too. I swear it.’

 

The feeling of her arms holding his neck, and her tears soaking his shoulder and the gentle way her fingers curled around the back of his shirt made him hold her even tighter. How was he supposed to tell her that he was part of the problem? That he’d sent Lucius Malfoy’s death eaters to her house to kick her out and ransack her family’s things and leave her worse off than ever?

 

How was he supposed to keep her, knowing that she would never trust anyone again if she found out the truth? Knowing that she’d be left on the street without someone to keep an eye on her?

 

‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered, and he kissed her cheek.

 

‘Never be sorry,’ he said, wiping her tears and holding her close to him. ‘Katie you’ve been through so much in the last few months and I’m _so_ glad-’ _that your STAR fell into my lap that night._ ‘-that I stuffed up that order. The universe knows we can help each other.’

 

‘I’m not really helping you all that much,’ she pointed out. ‘I kicked you out of your bed and doubled all your living expenses.’

 

‘You also give me a reason to look forward to coming home,’ he told her, kissing her nose. ‘You brought light back into my life, even if you do smell like peanut butter and leave wet towels on my bathroom floor.’

 

She gave a hiccup-y little giggle through her tears, breathing in deeply through her nose. ‘Do you really think we’ll find my family?’

 

‘I _promise_ ,’ he said seriously. ‘I will do everything I can to bring them back to you.’

 

She captured his lips in a warm kiss, insistent and needy.

 

‘You need to sleep,’ he breathed, breaking away from her. ‘You have to go to work tomorrow.’

 

‘I do,’ she hummed, bringing his face back to resume their kissing.

 

He kissed her back enthusiastically, not sure how much longer he’d have the opportunity.

 

*

 

**LANCE:** hey buddy  
**LANCE:** I need help  
  
**HUNK:**  are you okay  
  
**LANCE:** I can’t tell Katie  
**LANCE:** I tried  
**LANCE:** Hunk she fell apart I can’t tell her now

 

**HUNK:** you can’t just leave her not knowing

 

**LANCE:** we need to talk to Takashi  
**LANCE:** like this week  
**LANCE:** time to break out the suits

 

**HUNK:** ready when you are buddy  
**HUNK:** I’m your ride or die remember

 

**LANCE:** honestly what would I do without you

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be my last vld fic tbh, so I'm going out with a bang. Hopefully this fic gets better and better and lives up to what I thought it would always be. 
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know what you thought; they honestly mean the world to me.  
> Thank you as always to the lovely Su for everything she does for me.   
> x S


	7. G.A.L.R.A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much happens in this chapter, so it's shorter, but hey! Progress!  
> Let me know your theories, thoughts and whatnot here or on tumblr; @aaravosed   
> Or just come scream at/with me about things.  
> On with the show!

 

Hunk and Lance cleaned up _beautifully_.

It was a requirement of their division that they have a properly cut suit, for inspection days with higher ups and whatnot, and so the boys were able to bring them out to help their chances of getting information out of Takashi Shirogane.

Hunk’s suit was jet black, his shirt white and crisp and his yellow tie giving a generous pop of colour that was mirrored in his pocket square.

Beside him, Lance was looking like a model in a magazine in his charcoal grey suit, accented with powder blue tie and pocket square combo.

Together they looked fine enough to walk the red carpet at a Hollywood premiere.

The icing on the cake was the matching shooting star pin on their lapels.

‘We look official as fuck,’ Lance said with a grin, admiring himself in Hunk’s bathroom mirror. ‘There’s just one thing missing!’

He handed Hunk a pair of sunglasses.

‘What are these for?’

‘They’re aviators. All the good government officials wear them.’

‘I’m not wearing these.’

‘ _Hunk_ don’t you watch tv? Do you want us to get caught out impersonating government officials?’

‘Lance, we _are_ government officials.’

‘All the more reason to wear the glasses,’ Lance grinned, sliding them on.

 

*

 

They decided to take Hunk’s car, because black was more official looking, and they input the address into the maps on Lance’s phone.

Takashi Shirogane lived in a tall apartment building that looked a little bit like a prison from the outside. Parking in the guest area, Lance and Hunk quickly ran through their plan.

‘So we’re here to check on how he’s recovering and if there’s anything we can do to help, and also to get his statement. Find out what we can without appearing suspicious and if he starts acting all weird, we bail, got it?’ Hunk rehashed, and Lance nodded.

Despite how suave and excited he’d been earlier that morning, he felt kinda sick now. This was a lead, a way to maybe find out what had happened to the Holts. Any information they got out of him would advance their investigation by leaps and bounds.

Also, it would be easier to explain to Pidge that he was a STAR Agent if he had information on her family.

Lance wiped his sweaty hands on his expensive suit pants on the elevator ride up, adjusted his pin and fingered the card wallet in his pocket that carried his official ID. Hopefully they could get away with flashing it fast enough that Takashi wouldn’t be able to catch their names.

‘Ready?’ Hunk asked, taking a slow breath to calm his nerves.

‘No,’ Lance replied honestly. ‘But we can’t back out now.’

Hunk didn’t say anything, only slicked back his hair one more time and knocked sharply on the door.

Lance had seen Takashi Shirogane in photos; young and happy at his graduation, proud and poised in his official file.

This Takashi Shirogane was _broken_.

His shoulders sagged as if even standing up was too much effort, and his shirt had some kind of stain on the front. He had tired bags under his eyes, and a flicker of fear in them as he took in their appearance.

‘Can I help you?’ he asked, clearing his throat.

‘Are you Takashi Shirogane?’ Lance asked in that tone that implied he already knew the answer.

‘Yes, what can I do for you?’

‘My name is Agent Blue, and this is my colleague Agent Yellow. We’re here to conduct a quick interview with you, check on your progress and just get a statement from you, is this okay?’

Again, in the tone that implied that he had no choice.

Lance was better at this than he’d thought he’d be.

The older man let out a sigh and just stepped back, holding his door open for the two agents to enter the apartment.

It was sparsely furnished, but it was obvious that Takashi had been doing an awful lot of just lounging around. There was a blanket thrown haphazardly on the couch, a few mugs scattered across the coffee table and papers all over the dining table.

‘Adam,’ Takashi called tiredly. ‘We have company.’

A man with brown hair and glasses appeared from down the hallway, dressed neatly in jeans and a t-shirt, a stark contrast to Takashi’s gross tracksuit pants and gym singlet.

‘You’re from the Division?’ Adam asked, his voice harsh. ‘Cool, hey, quick question; where the _fuck_ do you get off just cutting this guy’s funding and rehab off without even a word?’

Lance felt Hunk flinch beside him. Sometimes he forgot that Lotor had closed his friend’s case as well, right in the middle.

‘That’s my fault specifically,’ Hunk said before Lance could interject. ‘I am sincerely sorry, and I assure you I’m working to get it all put back into place.’

Adam didn’t seem convinced, but the tension dropped from his shoulders slightly, and the distaste in his voice lowered. ‘Good,’ he said, brushing past. ‘Do you want a drink?’

‘No, thank you,’ Hunk replied, and the group of four quietly moved to seat themselves around the dining table. Adam swept the papers into a rough pile, then sat beside Takashi, facing the two agents.

‘Firstly,’ Lance began, setting his phone on the table. ‘Do I have permission to record our conversation? It means I’m not distracted making notes while you’re speaking.’

The other two nodded their consent, and Lance pressed the red ‘record’ button.

‘Thank you,’ Lance said. ‘Now, this seems like a ridiculous question I know but… how are you going?’

Takashi snorted. ‘Uh, okay? I’m still getting used to doing things one handed, and Adam has been a great help but he can’t be around for all hours of the day so…’

‘Did you get your prosthetic?’ Hunk asked. ‘I know you were fitted for it.’

‘No,’ Takashi said, and Adam chewed his lip, presumably to keep from interjecting. ‘When I went to collect it they said the funding had been cut off and unless I could pay for it myself then it would remain with them.’

Hunk lowered his head and Lance could feel disappointment rolling off his friend in waves.

‘Aside from the prosthetic,’ Lance jumped in. ‘What else has been impacted by the loss of funding and assistance?’

‘Uh, physiotherapy and psych appointments, medication for pain, general monitoring of my healing process, and my adaptability exercises as well,’ Takashi said quietly.

Lance nodded. Man, _fuck_ Lucius Malfoy.

‘Mr Shirogane,’ he said, sitting taller. ‘Can you tell us, in your own words what happened prior to the accident, and what happened after as well, please?’

‘Didn’t you guys already take a statement?’ Adam asked, eyebrow raised.

‘Yes,’ Lance replied smoothly. They’d prepared for this. ‘But it’s important for us to keep everything consistent and up to date, and there has been significant time passed since the initial statement was taken.’

‘It’s fine,’ Takashi said, taking Adam’s hand and squeezing. ‘So uh, from the beginning? I was invited to work on the Kerberos Mission with the GALRA Division, straight out of the Garrison when I graduated – I took the job immediately, since my best friend from the Garrison was also working on it with his father.’

‘This would be Holts, am I correct?’ Lance asked innocently, even though he had literal goosebumps.

‘Yes, Samuel and Matthew Holt. Anyway, the mission itself was highly classified, and I was obviously not allowed to discuss my work outside of the GALRA base. Since Adam here was busy working on the other side of the country I decided to just live on base permanently.’

The STAR Division was a small sector of only about 100 agents; Lance was intrigued. He’d never even _heard_ of the GALRA Division. What was the Kerberos Mission?

If Takashi was a pilot, then whatever the Kerberos Mission was, it involved some kind of flight, or at least needed the expertise of a highly trained pilot. Military grade weapons? The Garrison fed directly into the space exploration program… maybe a ship?

‘We were working on our project in the hangar and something… something went wrong. There was an explosion.’

Adam squeezed Takashi’s hand.

‘I haven’t been told exactly what happened, I only know that it was in the left-hand side engine because that’s the side that… that Sam and Matt were working on, and also the side that I lost my arm.’

Lance’s heart dropped into his stomach.

‘When I came to I was in the base infirmary and they were in the process of getting me transferred to the private hospital here since they were unsure if they could handle my case. I passed out and when I woke up they explained what had happened, and my arm was missing.’

Lance had almost forgotten how to breathe; there was so much to unpack in such a short statement. It was so much more than he had expected to learn.

‘And just to confirm,’ Lance continued. ‘Who was the head of the Kerberos Mission?’

Takashi looked at him strangely, grey eyes narrowed. ‘I’m sorry…’ he said, sitting up and leaning forward. ‘You said you were Agents Blue and Yellow, correct?’

‘Correct,’ Lance replied, while Hunk nodded.

‘Would you happen to have any identification on you?’ he asked.

Even though they both were able to produce their IDs, Lance’s nerves were spiking. He must have asked the wrong question.

‘Lance and Hunk,’ Takashi repeated, his tone implying that he would definitely remember those names. ‘And you’re from GALRA?’

‘We’re working very closely with GALRA,’ Hunk offered. ‘We’re trying to get your funding back on track. I have a small compensation packet with me today… I know it’s not much but please be assured that we’re doing our best to make sure it’s ongoing.’

Lance nearly dropped his jaw when Hunk produced an officially sealed money packet with Takashi’s name on the front and slid it across the table.

‘It isn’t a lot, but it will cover your prosthetic fees, and also get your therapies back on track for the next month while we work to restore it permanently.’

Takashi eyed the packet warily; like he knew it was suspicious, but he couldn’t exactly turn down the cash. Eventually he accepted it, pulling it towards himself and checking the contents.

‘Do you have any questions?’ Hunk asked, standing up and tugging the front of his suit jacket down. Lance also stood, along with Takashi and Adam.

‘You’ll restore the funding?’ Takashi asked, hope creeping into his voice.

‘I will do everything in my power,’ Hunk promised, holding out his hand.

Takashi shook it firmly, and then shook Lance’s. ‘Thank you.’

‘No, thank you,’ Lance replied. ‘We appreciate your time, and we understand that it isn’t easy to go over these traumatic events.’

Takashi nodded, then his eyes lit up. ‘I do actually have a question… did uh, did Matt and Sam have…uh… have a funeral?’

_A funeral_.

‘I know I was in hospital for a while, and I know I might have missed it, but I’m not allowed to speak with Colleen or Katie, so I don’t know how they’re doing, but I would have liked to pay my respects to them. They were… family, I guess.’

_Funeral, funeral, funeral, funerals are for dead people, Matt and Sam Holt were dead._

‘I think there was a small, private ceremony a few days after,’ Hunk fibbed gently. ‘If you like we can try and find out where they were buried so you can pay your respects?’

‘I would appreciate that, thank you,’ Takashi said, taking a deep breath.

‘We’ll be in touch,’ Hunk promised. ‘Agent Blue? After you?’

Lance’s legs felt like jelly as he stepped into the hall. Hunk walked closely by his side until they were in the elevator and the doors were shut, then they sighed a collective sigh of relief.

‘You okay?’ Hunk asked, draping an arm over Lance’s shoulders, and Lance leaned into him.

‘I don’t know,’ he said honestly. ‘I thought… I thought we’d be able to find them. I didn’t think they’d actually be… you know.’

‘We don’t know for sure,’ Hunk reminded him. ‘Remember they told Katie that they were dead too. It could be a cover up and until we work out every detail, then we won’t know for sure.’

‘I hope you’re right.’ Lance didn’t want to face Katie after hearing all of that, but at the same time all he wanted was to bury himself in her and forget their awful situation.

 

*

 

The drive back to Hunk’s place was quiet and tense. Once inside the door, they ditched their suit jackets and Hunk changed into normal clothes while Lance made notes and cups of tea. He read over them while he sipped, enjoying the sound of the rain pelting the windows outside.

_Takashi Shirogane interview;_  
1\. Kerberos Mission/GALRA Division????  
2\. Working on aircraft?? In a hanger??  Left side engine explosion??  
3\. Sam and Matt presumed deceased by subject

Three tidbits of information; only three.

But they had blown Lance’s case wide open, and he honestly wanted to just keep digging.

‘Hey,’ Hunk said softly, startling Lance enough that he spilled his tea a little over his fingers. ‘Do you think we should let Ros in on everything? She’d be on our side but… if this is as deep as we think it is, it’d be worth it to have a supervisor on our side.’

‘I think that’s a good idea,’ Lance agreed.

Ros had always been a supportive supervisor. She’d gotten into the STAR monitoring business because of a desire to help people, and she was usually more than happy to bend the rules in order to make life easier for others. Speaking of…

‘Hey, where’d that packet come from?’

Hunk winced. ‘The emergency stash.’

‘Ros approved it?’

‘Of course. They cut the guy’s funding and literally took his prosthetic away. I didn’t tell her that he was connected to Katie or anything we were doing, but she was happy to sign off on it with a simple explanation. She knows we’re up to something though.’

‘I’ll talk to her tomorrow,’ Lance promised.

 

*

 

Lance was waiting in the kitchen when Katie came home from her first day of work. She had a tired but happy smile on her face when she saw him, and it only got wider when she saw that he actually brought her noodles for dinner.

That night they retired to bed early, both exhausted and craving the soothing company of the other. Lance kissed her all over; he couldn’t tell her what he learned, couldn’t tell her the truth about his life. At least not with words. So, he poured all his emotions, his fears and his concern and his feelings for her into his actions.

He learned her body, learned that she liked it when he ran his fingers through her hair and that she leaned into him when he gathered it in a gentle fist at the nape of her neck. He learned that she rocked her hips into his when he put his hands on her waist. He learned her buttons; when he kissed her here, she keened, or when he kissed her there, she gasped. He learned that when his mouth touched her neck she would whisper his name.

She placed two hands flat on his chest and gave him a gentle push.

‘Too much?’ he asked, catching his breath.

Katie kissed him lightly on the nose. ‘No,’ she replied. ‘But you’re… different. Are you okay?’

‘Not really,’ he said, rubbing gentle circles on her hip with his thumb; he wasn’t sure if that was to soothe her or himself.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ she offered, and Lance shook his head.

‘No, it’s okay. Just… struggling with something.’

Her big brown eyes studied him for a moment, then she leaned forward to kiss him one last time. ‘You know you can tell me anything,’ she said seriously, and he smiled tiredly at her.

‘I know.’ He leaned back into the pillows and left his arm outstretched. She snuggled into his side. ‘Thank you, Katie. I promise I’m okay.’

Lance stayed awake for hours, his mind racing. Katie was curled against his side, her hand on his belly where she’d snuck it under his shirt, and her legs tangled in his. She was breathing evenly, and he as struck by how deep his affection for the girl ran.

‘Katie?’ he whispered, but she slept on. ‘Katie I’m so sorry.’

It was like he couldn’t stop himself.

‘I think I know what happened to your dad and your brother. I’m not a noodle guy, I’m a government agent. I promise I would never hurt you, I care for you _so much_ , I’d fight the whole GALRA Division to keep you safe.’

Katie didn’t stir.

‘Please don’t hate me,’ he asked, kissing her head. ‘I’m doing my best. I promise I’ll find out what happened to them.’

They hadn’t used the L word at all – they had only been dating officially for a week or two. But in this moment, baring his soul to a girl who was sleeping so deeply that she was drooling on him, Lance felt like he was as close to romantic love than he’d ever been.

 

*

 

‘You look like shit.’

‘Your tact never ceases to amaze me,’ Lance smirked, but there wasn’t any heart in it. He did look like shit. Hunk had also told him the same thing. ‘Can I come in?’

‘Of course,’ Ros said, gesturing to the chair opposite her. ‘My office is always open for you Lance, you know that.’

He offered a small smile and fell into the chair opposite her. ‘I just needed to tell you something and I really hope you’re not mad at me.’

‘Does this have something to do with the currently missing Katie Holt?’

‘…yeeeeah,’ he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. ‘Lotor and his goons went to her house after he shut down our cases, kicked her out and changed all the locks so she couldn’t get in.’

Ros’ mouth twisted in distaste.

‘I went to make sure she was okay and it was really late and raining and cold and she was all by herself I couldn’t just _leave_ her there, Ros,’ Lance said, leaning forward in his chair. He could lose his job for this. Katie could be taken away by the GALRA Division. But he had to let _someone_ know.

‘Was she hurt?’

‘No, thank god,’ he breathed. ‘I took her home and let her stay the night and she just… never left.’

‘So were you making out before or after Lotor kicked her out?’ Ros asked with a snort, and Lance felt his face get warm.

‘It’s not- that’s not what happened- _after_ , Ros. _Well_ after.’

‘Right. So what have you uncovered so far? I know the two of you are too stubborn to just leave the case alone as well.’

Lance told her everything, from Sam Holt’s ransacked study to Katie’s confession about the STAR and their discussion with Takashi Shirogane.

She listened attentively, eyebrows meeting in a concerned frown.

‘I’ve never even heard of the GALRA Division,’ she said quietly, looking over at her computer as if she wanted to try searching the system. ‘Lotor is going to catch wind of this sooner or later.’

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘But Katie hasn’t done anything wrong. He can’t punish her.’

‘He can clearly do what he wants,’ Ros pointed out. ‘You need to tell Katie what’s going on. She might be able to help with the investigation, and if Lotor gets to her before you tell her she’ll feel betrayed.’

That was a fair point.

‘Lotor won’t get to her,’ he said.

Lance got to his feet and Ros mirrored him.

‘I certainly hope not. Keep me informed, please.’

‘I will. Thank you, Ros.’

‘Don’t mention it. Now you have a job to do, and it seems like you don’t do a lot of _actual work_ these days, Agent Blue.’

He ducked out of her office with another sheepish grin.

 

*

 

‘I need your help,’ Lance pleaded, threading his arm through Hunk’s as they walked to the little café downstairs. ‘I need to tell Katie that I’m not… Lance the noodle boy.’

‘Yeah, you really do,’ Hunk agreed.

They walked arm in arm down the street, ordered their food and found a little corner to sit in where no one would be able to overhear.

 ‘I think you should just come out and say it,’ Hunk offered, stirring sugar into his coffee. ‘She’s smart, and she likes you, and she knows you wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.’

‘What if she tries to leave?’ he asked, chewing his lip and letting his own drink go cold. ‘I mean I can’t stop her but… what if Malfoy and the Death Eaters get her? I’d never forgive myself.’

Hunk pointed his spoon at Lance’s face. ‘And what if she’s understanding and empathetic and sure she’s a little mad but you have brilliant make-up sex and then are able to work on the case _together_?’

Lance waved the spoon out of his face. ‘There won’t be any of _that_ , thanks,’ he grumbled, scooping up some of the coffee foam.

_That_ being the make up sex. The Katie-being-mad and the maybe-working-on-the-case-together bit though?

‘You can always tell her she’s welcome to stay at my place if she wants some time away from you. Or you’re welcome to stay with me if you wanna give her your place.’

The relative newness of their relationship was at the forefront of his mind. Sure, it was young and exciting and had so much potential but… would it be a loss to her? Would she think it was better to cut ties and run?

What would he do if she _did_ run?

Of course he wouldn’t stop her. Katie was an adult, and she could make her own decisions, but… if she just vanished? He wouldn’t even be able to use the STAR Division system to monitor her, since she’d been either deleted or blocked from view. How could he ever go sleep in the bed they’d shared, eat in their kitchen, or play stupid Phantasm Killbot II ever again, knowing that he was the reason she’d wound up on the street?

He didn’t even know if he’d be able to work on her case. What good was finding out what happened to her family, if he didn’t even know where she was?

A deep breath in through the nose, and the thought of Katie was all it took.

‘I’ll tell her tonight,’ he promised.

‘No, you won’t,’ Hunk replied, smiling sadly.

‘I will,’ he said. ‘I have to.’

 

*

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr name has been changed, you can now find me at 'aaravosed'  
> As I've said before, this is my last VLD fic, but you've seen the Dragon Prince, my next fic is underway!!  
> If you haven't seen the Dragon Prince, then get on that, it's amazing
> 
> A million thanks, as always, to Su for being the best permanent beta in the world.   
> Please leave a review and tell me what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, a thank you to my amazing Beta, Su.  
> Another thank you to the Plance server, for kind words and encouragement, and for the daily dose of Seasalt that I need.
> 
> Remember that comments let authors know their work is appreciated.  
> Come and yell with me about Plance on tumblr at acrolance !


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